1865–1873: Early proposals

The idea of a mass public transport system for Bombay 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 due to the prevailing economic depression in the city due to 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. On 27 November 1871, a notice in the Times of India newspaper found to be too expensive and the tender was promptly abandoned.

1873–1905: Bombay Tramway Company Limited, introduction of horse-drawn trams

The "Bombay Tramway Company Limited" was formally set up in 1873. After a contract was entered into between the Bombay Tramway Company, the municipality and Stearns and Kitteredge company, the Bombay Presidency enacted "The Bombay Tramways Act, 1874", under which the company was licensed to run a horsecar tramway service in the city.^[1] On 9 May 1874, the first horse-drawn tram made its début in the city, plying on the Colaba–Pydhone via Crawford Market, and Bori Bunder to Pydhonie via Kalbadevi routes. The initial fare was three annas (15 paise) , and no tickets were issued. As the service became increasingly popular, the fare was reduced to two annas (10 paise). Later that year, tickets were issued for the first time to curb increasing ticketless travel.^[2] Stearns and Kitteredge reportedly had a stable of 900 horses when tram service began.

In 1882 the municipality entered into an agreement with the Eastern Electric Light and Power Company to provide electric lighting in the Crawford Market and on some of the roads. But the company went into liquidation the following year and the market reverted to gas lighting. In 1899, Bombay Tramway Company applied to the municipality, for operation of electrically operated trams. Due to the high investment required, the company suggested that the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) should waive its right to take over the tramways, which was to take place in 1901 according to the Bombay Tramways Act. Instead, the BMC decided to take over the company, but was met with several legal problems. In 1904 the British Electric Traction Company (England) applied for a license to supply electricity to the city. The "Brush Electrical Engineering Company" was its agent. It got "The Bombay Electric License" on 31 July 1905 signed by Bombay Tramways Company, the Bombay Municipality and its agent, the Brush Electrical Company.

1905–1947: Bombay Electric Supply & Tramway Company Limited, introduction of electric trams and buses

In 1905, "Bombay Electric Supply & Tramway Company Limited" (B.E.S.T.) was formed. The B.E.S.T. Company was granted the monopoly for electric supply and the running of an electric tram service in the city. It bought the assets of the Bombay Tramway Company for ₹9,850,000.^[3] Two years later in 1907, the first electric tram debuted in the city. Later that year, a 4,300 kilowatts (5,800 hp) steam power generator was commissioned at Wari Bunder. In 1916, the Tata Power group began purchasing power and by 1925, all power generation was outsourced from Tata.^[4] The passing years aggravated the problem of rush-hour traffic and to ease the situation, double-decker trams were introduced in September 1920.

Since 1913, the company had been pondering over starting a motorised bus service. The main factor against its introduction was the high accident rate for a similar service in London. After years of debate, the company came to a decision on 10 February 1926, to start a bus service later that year. Bombay saw its first bus run on 15 July 1926 between Afghan Church and Crawford Market. The people of Bombay received the bus with enthusiasm, but it took some time before this means of conveyance really established itself. Despite stiff opposition and protests by taxi drivers, the service ran without a hitch, transporting 600,000 passengers by the end of that year. The following year the number had increased to 3.8 million. For several years, it was looked upon as transport for the upper-middle class. Those were the days when the tram was the poor man's transport; it carried one all the way from the Sassoon Docks to Dadar. The bus fare for the same journey was 25 paise. In response to the pleas made by the Government and the Bombay Municipal Corporation, the company extended its services to the northern part of the city in 1934. The Indian independence movement's call for mass non-violent strikes and general civil disobedience led to regular service disruptions, leading to the company incurring huge losses in 1929. The next year was a particular bad year for the company in the wake of the Great Depression. To remain solvent, the company decided to introduce discounted fares for short routes, and increase its coverage to the northern portions of the city. In 1937, the introduction of double-decker buses proved to be extremely popular.

1947–1995: Bombay Electric Supply & Transport, further expansion

Pursuant to the option given to it under the deed of concession granted to the Bombay Electric Supply and Tramways Co. Ltd, the BMC acquired the assets of the combined undertaking, namely the operation of tramways and distribution of electricity in the city of Bombay as a going concern on 7 August 1947. By mutual agreement, the corporation also took over the operation of the bus services, which was run by the Bombay Electric Supply & Transport Company. Thus, "Bombay Electric Supply & Tramways Company" was renamed "Bombay Electric Supply & Transport".^[5][6]

As the company grew, it increased its fleet from 242 to 582 buses over the next decade. In 1949, it took over the Bandra Bus Company, which used to ply buses in the suburbs.^[7] In 1951, the electricity division switched over from direct current (DC) to the more efficient alternating current (AC). The company launched its services in the eastern suburbs in 1955. That year, the Undertaking and private operators went to court with BEST asking for a complete closure of the private companies. The case dragged on for four years before the Supreme Court of India granted the organisation a complete monopoly over bus services in the Greater Bombay area. In 1964, due to high operational costs and poor public support, its long-running tram services were terminated.^[8] The company became the first company in the country to issue computerised billing in 1974. In 1994, the company introduced electronic meters in a move to replace the less accurate electric meters.

A notable Chairman of BEST during this 1970's period was Kisan Mehta, who was known for his social activism.^[9]

1995–present: Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport, recent developments

With the renaming of the city from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995, the organization was renamed to "Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST)". Following a Supreme Court directive, the company gradually phased out old buses and introduced new buses which complied with the Euro III pollution control standards.^[10] On 19 November 2004, route SPL-8 travelling from Churchgate to the World Trade Centre had started accepting cashless smart cards for automatic fare collection in BEST buses. BEST currently has over 3000 buses in its fleet and plans to increase the number of buses.

After the 9/11 bombings, BEST had installed an audio-visual surveillance system (CCTV) on each of its buses to monitor suspicious behavior on-board its vehicles but it is no longer done. Almost all buses had two LCD TVs per bus which showed BEST TV but it was discontinued. BEST had introduced A/C Cerita services on certain routes but due to high maintenance it got discontinued.

The A/C bus "AS-4" from Oshiwara Depot to Backbay Depot was the route with the highest revenue for BEST.

A new era for BEST began in 2019 when it revised its fare and increased bus fleet by inducting non-AC and AC buses on wet lease. Passenger numbers which were all-time low started to increase and in 2020 it achieved its passenger numbers which it had in 2012. Since 2019, BEST revenue has also improved, however it is still not in profit.

Rolling stock and depot

In 1936, the company owned 433 tram vehicles and 128 busses.^[14]

As of May 2023^[update], BEST has a fleet of 3,228 buses which includes BEST-owned buses and buses on wet lease. The fleet comprises 525 diesel single-decker buses, 2,250 CNG buses, 406 battery electric single-decker buses, 45 diesel double-decker buses and 2 battery electric double-decker buses.^[15] The fleet numbers are dynamic due to the National Vehicle Scrappage Policy under which all State and Central government-owned vehicles older than 15 years (including buses owned by transport corporations) will be scrapped from 1 April 2023. These will be replaced by new vehicles running on alternative fuels.^[16][17]

BEST placed a ₹3,675 crore (US$460 million) order with Olectra Greentech to supply and maintain 2,100 battery electric single-decker buses for a 12 year period in May 2022.^[18] In February 2023, India's first battery electric double-decker AC bus was deployed by BEST on the A- 115 route.^[19] 200 of these Switch EiV 22 double-decker buses have been ordered from Switch Mobility to replace the existing diesel double-decker fleet.^[17][20] The target is to have a 100 percent electric fleet by 2027.^[18]

BEST also have goods carrier buses, break-down vans, blue coloured sightseeing and party buses, tree cutting double decker buses and driving school buses which are used to train drivers. All buses are tagged with a route number and its corresponding destination. They are displayed in the front in Marathi and on the side in English. All buses have GPS devices installed which give real time information about arrival to management as well as passengers. Inside the bus there are LED indicators displaying route and destination as well as upcoming stop name in Marathi and English. The newer wet leased buses have cctv cameras installed but the older buses do not have cctv cameras.^[21] All unit overhauling, repairing of body damages, tyre cut repairs, plant and equipment installation and repairs, and reclamation activities are carried out in the workshop. There are roughly 4,500 to 5,000 bus stops in Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Some of them are equipped with bus ETA system. The bus stops are of two types, shelter and pole. All bus stops have route numbers which stop and stop name in Marathi and English. They even have a unique code on all stops. Each bus has a unique number and depot code assigned to it. The depot codes are mentioned below.

Mostly all BEST buses are painted in standard original red colour with "BEST" logo in English and Marathi. There are different coloured stripes on these buses to indicated some features and type of fuel the bus uses. The following are the different stripes and its meaning :-

1. Yellow and Green strip- it indicates the bus is run on CNG.

2. Grey strip- it indicates the bus is run on Diesel. (These types are almost scrapped)

3. White strip- these are also run on diesel but are procured under MUTP-II and MUTP-III. (By 2023 these types will be scrapped)

4. Silver strip- it indicates the bus is electric powered.

5. Black, Yellow and Green strip- it indicates that a AC CNG bus is converted into non AC CNG bus. (They were earlier Purple coloured King Long AC buses)

Best has some special livery buses too with BEST logo on it.

1. Full grey coloured "Safety is our Motto" in red or white text livery.

2. Yellow and Black livery to indicate that the bus is hybrid and given by MMRDA.

3. Yellow and Pink livery to indicate ladies special 'Tejaswini' buses.

Until BEST was taken over by the municipality, only the Colaba depot was available for the maintenance of buses and minor repairs. As the fleet grew, more depots were needed. In 1961 the fleet comprised 1045 buses. Six new depots were constructed for their maintenance. The Wadala depot was equipped for the maintenance of 300 buses. At this time it was the largest depot in Asia. After this, the authorities decided that no depot should be called on to look after more than 125 to 150 buses after taking long maintenance times into account. Accordingly, small depots were built at convenient spots in the city and its suburbs. The most recent depot was Kalakilla and Malad. Each depot is a work center that provides bus services effectively every day, carries out preventive maintenance, as well as repairs on buses. Depots carry out maintenance practices such as preventive maintenance, unit replacement, RTO passing, body damage repairs of buses. BEST buses are operated out of the 27 bus depot located in four zones viz. City, Central, Western, and Eastern Suburban zones.^[22][23]

In late 2019, BEST began operating air-conditioned mini-buses and midi-buses that were hired on a wet lease. BEST also plans to increase its fleet size to 6,00 buses by 2022.^[24][25][26]

In April 2022, it came up with 100% digital buses with a ‘Tap in and Tap out’ ticketing system, making Mumbai the first city in India to get fully digital buses.^[27][28]

Bus routes

BEST bus routes are spread citywide and to neighboring cities. BEST operates inter-city services to three areas beyond the municipal limits of Mumbai City; i.e., into the limits of the bordering corporations of Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Mira-Bhayandar. BEST supplements suburban rails, metro rail and monorail in the Mumbai region. It is for this reason that BEST always gives priority for feeder routes over other routes. BEST uses CNG, electric and diesel-powered buses for its operation. BEST introduced Air-conditioned buses in 1998.^[29]

The majority of BEST buses consist of ordinary routes. Limited bus services that skip minor stops are used on long routes, high-capacity routes, and routes that provide connectivity beyond Mumbai city. The buses have "LTD" appended to the route number. "C" routes are ultra long routes. 5xx LTD numbered buses connect Navi Mumbai with Mumbai. Some buses like A-504, 504 LTD, and C 53 Exp plies till Navi Mumbai's Raigad district, thereby connecting the nodes of Kharghar and Kalamboli with Mumbai. Buses numbered 4xx mostly like 496 LTD and 497 LTD serve Mulund and Thane and provide the connection to greater Mumbai and buses numbered 6xx LTD and 7xx LTD serves Mira-Bhayander region like 706 LTD and 720 LTD. Buses number 3xx most likely cater to eastern suburbs. Buses numbered 2xx mostly serve western suburbs. Buses numbered 1xx mostly serve central suburbs. Buses numbered from 1 to 99 mostly serve South Mumbai (SoBo).

As of 2021, the BEST runs approximately 3,800 buses,^[30][31] ferrying 5 million passengers^[32] over 443 routes, and has a workforce strength of 38,000, which includes 22,000 bus drivers and conductors. BEST plans to induct more AC & Non AC buses on wet lease and increase total fleet to 6,000 buses by 2021.

Besides buses, BEST operates a ferry service since 1981 in northern Mumbai, across the Manori Creek. The barges operate at regular intervals across the shallow creek linking Manori to Marve.^[33]

The BEST bus service suffered two bombings on 6 December 2002 and 28 July 2003 killing six people. In August 2006, BEST introduced payphone system and CCTVs on its buses as a response to terror attacks on the city's buses and trains.^[34]

Bus routes are updated till 20th January 2023.

Fares and ticketing

BEST has several options to pay bus fares:

• Single journey (paper ticket issued by the bus conductor and validated by ticket punch)
• Chalo App (digital ticket)
• Chalo Card
• National Common Mobility Card
• Daily pass on Chalo App

The fares vary depending on the type. Paper tickets are valid only for single journey. Commuters have the option to buy a daily pass, distance-wise bus pass values and zonal pass. Students are eligible for discounts on monthly and quarterly passes and senior citizens for discounts on weekly, fortnightly, monthly and quarterly passes.^[37]

BEST Transport Museum

The BEST Transport Museum is at Anik Bus depot at Wadala. The museum was founded by P D Paranjape, the BEST officer who religiously collected bus tickets, engines, ticket-issuing machines from depots across the city. The museum was set up in 1984 at BEST's Kurla depot and was shifted to Anik depot in 1993.^[38] The museum traces the evolution of BEST. It houses mini models of charming old BEST buses and ancient trams. Hand-written placards in Marathi and photographs are on display for the public. Entry to the museum is free.^[39]