With 280 minibuses off-road for the sixth consecutive day, BEST has decided to expedite the tenders for procuring new buses and issue work orders on an 'emergency' basis, an official said on Wednesday. This will alleviate problems arising due to the shortage of buses on roads, which has left passengers waiting for over 30 minutes and in long queues across the city.

The BEST's engineering department on Wednesday held discussions with the contractor, as the latter cited losses to the tune of Rs 112 crore due to repeated breakdown of buses and financial issues to operate the buses, sources said. The contractor is likely to face blacklisting by the weekend if he continues to keep buses off-road, sources added.

BEST general manager Anil Diggikar said the contractor had no financial means to get buses back on the roads. "I directed officials to expedite deliveries of new buses - with at least 80 buses coming into the fleet very soon to cater to the shortage, and 160 more buses in the coming weeks," he said. The minibuses were operating from three depots in the western suburbs: Dindoshi, Marol, and Oshivara. BEST has been diverting buses from other routes to ensure that commuters in the affected areas are not left stranded. However, this has led to a reduction in the frequency of buses on other routes, causing inconvenience to passengers across the city.

The 21-seater minibuses were ideal for operating on narrow stretches of the city and providing competition to shared autos in the suburbs. However, some of these buses were deployed on crowded main roads, leading to their poor condition, breakdowns, and regular complaints from commuters, a commuter said.

The minibuses have been a vital part of Mumbai's public transport system, and their absence has left a significant gap in the city's transport network, a transport activist added. A former BEST committee member said there was no proper planning by BEST management in ensuring that it keeps buying buses periodically and not just depend on contractual buses. BEST's own fleet has dipped to 1,061 buses.

The Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST, a citizen' group, petitioned BEST in the past, demanding that it should have a 100% fleet of its own and that there were "dangers" of the wet leasing model.

Meanwhile, commuters said that there was chaos at few stops with citizens shouting at those who tried to jump queues and enter the bus. "We waited for longer than usual for the buses and hope the situation improves soon," a commuter said.

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