The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, Mumbai’s most used public transport after sub-urban railways, will soon launch buses that would operate without conductors. According to Indian Express, an intelligent transportation system (ITS), a first of its kind in India, that involves smart card-based access for passengers and ticket vending machines will soon be launched in Mumbai. BEST would procure 50 air-conditioned mini-buses with a capacity of 29 (22 seats and 7 slots for standing passengers) each , says the report.
Initially, Commuters will have to produce a card or pass in front of machine at the entrance. The public carrier is also planning to integrate card system with cash or coin-operated ticket machines. These machines would be fitted with a technology to validate electronic wallets, passes or RFID (Radio-Frequency IDentification) cards.. “If the machine declines access, entry would not be allowed. We also aim to integrate cash or coin-operated ticket machines at the entry but that is at a planning stage,” said BEST General Manager Jagdish Patil told IE.
The new buses will be smaller than the usual BEST buses. It is likely to increase punctuality given that the buses will consume less space on the roads. Underlining that the public transporter is not financially capable to buy new buses , Patil said,” we plan to take them on wet lease, where the company will look after the maintenance and operational cost of the buses. The vehicles will also serve the needs of commuters who prefer to travel in AC buses.”
