BEST Transport division
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| Parent | Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1905 as BEST Co. Ltd. Bombay Electric Supply & Tramways (BEST) Company Ltd ---- 1947 as BEST Undertaking Bombay Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) |
| Headquarters | Electric House, Colaba, Mumbai |
| Locale | Mumbai Metropolitan Region |
| Service area |
Mumbai City Navi Mumbai Thane Mira-Bhayandar |
| Service type | Local, Limited, Special, Express, Air-conditioned bus services, BRTS, Ferry Boat |
| Routes | Ordinary Bus - Limited Bus - Express Bus - A.C. Bus - 14 BRTS - 4 Ferry Service - 1 |
| Depots | 27 |
| Fleet | 3,600 |
| Daily ridership | 3.3 million |
| Fuel type | Diesel, CNG |
| Operator | B.E.S.T Undertaking |
| General Manager | DR Jagdish Patil |
| Website | www.bestundertaking.com |
The transport wing of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST Undertaking) operates a large number of bus services in the Mumbai metropolitan area. These buses are called BEST or BEST bus. BEST bus serves the entire Mumbai City. It has operations outside city limits into neighboring Navi Mumbai, Thane and Mira-Bhayandar. In addition to buses, it operates a ferry service in the northern reaches of the city.
The present BEST undertaking was started as an electric supply company which then branched out to provide bus and tram services. In 1964, electric trams were terminated due to high operational costs and poor public support.
The idea of a mass public transport system for Mumbai was first put forward in 1865 by an American company, which applied for a licence to operate a horse-drawn tramway system. Although a licence was granted, the project was never realized, owing to the prevailing economic depression in the city. The end of the American Civil War, during which Bombay had made vast strides in its economy by supplying cotton and textiles to the world market, was the reason for the economic downturn.
On 27 November 1871, a notice in the Times of India newspaper by the Bombay Omnibus Service proposed a bus service between Malabar Hill and Fort. However, the proposed monthly pass fare of 30 pounds proved to be too expensive, and the tender was promptly abandoned.
In 1873, the Bombay Tramway Company Limited was given the licence to operate trams in the city. The Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) was given the right to purchase the company after first twenty years or after every seven years thereafter. In 1874, the Bombay Tramways Act was enacted after the contract was formally signed between the municipality and the company to start such a tramway service. On 9 May 1874, the company started with horse-drawn tram of two kinds on road — those drawn by one horse and those drawn by two. Service was introduced on two routes: Colaba to Pydhoni via Crawford Market and Bori Bunder to Pydhoni, via Kalbadevi with a fleet of 20 cars and 200 horses.
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Wikipedia