[Dieseltuned]

Originally Posted by carzone

Point is, if we behave politely, even they have a heart.

Well said carzone. I agree that the BEST conductors are really well behaved as compared to other cities. I have stayed in Bangalore, Pune, Kolhapur, Mumbai and travelled in city buses of Calcutta and Delhi. And any day I would prefer a BEST conductor over any conductor from the above cities.

On a side note, there was one guy on C-60 express route, a young chap of about 30, and was a regular on the route. We were good friends and always exchanged pleasentaries. A friendship lost to my car ride now.

[the_flying_B]

Mostly the B.E.S.T. conductors are well behaved. But occasionally, you will find some people who will be in a foul mood. Especially if in the early morning trips you present a conductor a 100 rupee note for a minimum fare ticket. That really riles them up. I've noticed this many times during my college trips. Additionally another habit that angers conductors is that of exiting through the rear exit. I've had the misfortune of listening to a earful from a certain conductor when i did this some years back. But, since then I've mostly exited through the front exit on my trips.

Additionally, would like to share this useful tip/fact in this forum in case people haven't noticed yet. This is about the route numbering.

The route numbering in BEST buses isn't just random. There is a certain pattern to it which most of the buses/routes follow.

i.e. 1-100's operate in the Island city. So they will mostly terminate at the major South Bombay depots : Electric House,Colaba; Bombay Central,Tardeo; Worli; Mahim;Backbay, Cuffe Parade; Wadala , VT;Flora Fountain.

200's operate in the Western Suburbs (Bandra W,Khar W, Santacruz W,Andheri W and so on ) and will operate mostly from the Western Railway stations to the coastline (Bandstand,Chuim,Juhu beach,Versova and so on) .

300's will mostly connect the Eastern and Western suburbs i.e. Kurla to Santacruz,Andheri; Vikhroli to Jogeshwari; Ghatkopar to Andheri and so on.

400's will mostly connect long distance East & West suburbs e.g,: 488 from Shivaji Nagar to Dindoshi and 449 wchich connects Dharavi to Kandivali East.

500's operate in New Bombay, Vashi, Nerul and so on.

600's will be mini routes mostly. Feeder lines to stations or sometimes circular routes.

700's operate beyond Borivali i.e. Dahisar, Bhayander , Mira Road.

The above list isn't exhaustive as such. It's just years of observation and prodding around as my grand-uncle was a conductor in the BEST during the 60's. So, in case one needs to get around the city, you could keep these points in mind.

[TaurusAl]

Originally Posted by the_flying_B

i.e. 1-100's operate in the Island city. So they will mostly terminate at the major South Bombay depots : Electric House,Colaba; Bombay Central,Tardeo; Worli; Mahim;Backbay, Cuffe Parade; Wadala , VT;Flora Fountain.

200's operate in the Western Suburbs (Bandra W,Khar W, Santacruz W,Andheri W and so on ) and will operate mostly from the Western Railway stations to the coastline (Bandstand,Chuim,Juhu beach,Versova and so on) .

300's will mostly connect the Eastern and Western suburbs i.e. Kurla to Santacruz,Andheri; Vikhroli to Jogeshwari; Ghatkopar to Andheri and so on.

400's will mostly connect long distance East & West suburbs e.g,: 488 from Shivaji Nagar to Dindoshi and 449 wchich connects Dharavi to Kandivali East.

500's operate in New Bombay, Vashi, Nerul and so on.

600's will be mini routes mostly. Feeder lines to stations or sometimes circular routes.

700's operate beyond Borivali i.e. Dahisar, Bhayander , Mira Road.

The above list isn't exhaustive as such. It's just years of observation and prodding around as my grand-uncle was a conductor in the BEST during the 60's. So, in case one needs to get around the city, you could keep these points in mind.

Sorry, I dont think this is the case.

1) Check route 4 in case 1. bus no. 4 goes way beyond city limits.

2) Check route 212 in case 2. It travels to the island city.

3) Check route 354 in case 3. Starts from shivaji park Dadar and not restricted to Eastern & Western suburbs

4) Check route 454, east to west but not long distance. Only 15 Kms one way.

The above are the routes I have used and are known to me, so was able to point out. I'm sure if you research yourself you will find more contradictions.

[the_flying_B]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

Sorry, I dont think this is the case.

1) Check route 4 in case 1. bus no. 4 goes way beyond city limits.

2) Check route 212 in case 2. It travels to the island city.

3) Check route 354 in case 3. Starts from shivaji park Dadar and not restricted to Eastern & Western suburbs

4) Check route 454, east to west but not long distance. Only 15 Kms one way.

@TaurusAl : Mate, i agree with you that's why in my post i mentioned that the list isn't 'exhaustive'. It won't be true for all cases/routes. There will be some exceptions

Yes, certain routes like 212 from Sewri to Bandra or even 213 from Santacruz Station to Prabhodhankar Thackeray Udyan, Sewri (case 2) or even the 318 route from Santacruz to Kalina University do not fit case 3.

My post was just a sort of a guide, in case if one needed to get from one part of the city to another.

Another guide i would like to add is that the BEST uses mostly the 'BMC' names of landmarks in the city, which personally i can't quite comprehend .Because most of the conductors still prefer calling places by their original names. But still for the uninitiated here are few of the places with their original names. Starting from the southern-most point of the city which i can remember:

Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Chowk : Museum Square/ Jehangir Art Gallery / Colaba

Hutatma Chowk: Flora Fountain

Ahilyabai Holkar Chowk: Churchgate, Western Railway Headquarters

Vasudev Balwant Phadke Chowk: Metro Adlabs, Marine Lines, Dhobi Talao

Pandit Paluskar Chowk: Opera House, Pancharatna Building, Charni Road Station

Vasantrao Naik Chowk: Tardeo, AC Market

Acharya Atre Chowk : Worli, Haji Ali, Lala Lajpat Rai College

Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk: Jacob Circle, Saat Rasta

Ram Ganesh Gadkari Chowk : Shivaji Park, Dadar

Hope, others can add to this list as well for the benefit of all.

[carzone]

Just read it somewhere on FB that the A-70exp bus service from Mira Road to Worli has been cancelled by BEST. Don't even know weather this is true.
If yes, then why would BEST do this. AFAIK, that service goes pretty crowded in the mornings at-least. Its just after 9-10AM that the crowd eases out, and now they want to cancel the service. With already less options for commuters from Mira Road, BEST is worsening the situation.

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by carzone

With already less options for commuters from Mira Road, BEST is worsening the situation.

This is pretty normal. BEST in past too have cancelled many profitable routes.

Just to give you an example - Route no. 388 & 488 were only road connections from Borivali / Kandivali / Malad West to Ghatkopar. The buses on both these routes were crowded almost entire day, especially on holidays. But two years back BEST suddenly cancelled / shortened both these routes & now we only have AS-388 between Poisur (Kandivali) & Ghatkopar. Now, AC Bus may not be affordable to many & they are left with no option but to travel by trains.

Thanks,

[PPS]

Originally Posted by carzone

Just read it somewhere on FB that the A-70exp bus service from Mira Road to Worli has been cancelled by BEST. Don't even know weather this is true.

Reported in today's TOI . The few times that i have travelled on this AC bus from Oshiwara to Haji Ali in the morning it was always packed but only till Dadar & Worli! The AC was not that effective ever since they were forced to remove those advertisement tints.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/22242748.cms

[saildrive]

I used to take the A70 Exp from Mira Road to Bandra and the condition of roads just increased the travel time from 1.5 hours to 3 hours at times.

Was indeed painful journey and just got me frustrated every day.

Have been trying various options for 2 months now. Train from Borivali, sometimes Mira Road but must tell you it just stresses you like the tiring (long) bus journey.

Today the trains were late and for the first time in my life was soaked in sweat as a few trains got cancelled.

Just venting my frustration; its the bus, the trains, the roads, the toll nakas, the trucks on the sides, auto's no traffic police at certain places.... just adds up to each Mumbaikars traveling woes :(

[nishantdlv]

I had also read somewhere a few months back that the fleet of Kinglong Buses are becoming a big pain for BEST, as they are not as reliable, and the numbers of break downs are quite frequent. The cost of maintenance for these buses is just adding to the BEST's losses! Hence, they had started discontinuing some 'not-so-popular' routes.

[sinharishi]

After relocating to Delhi, taking buses here reminds me of BEST each and every time.

What I really miss are the conductors. Well behaved conductors.The ones over here are Nawabs. They have a special seat and they wont even move a inch to issue a ticket.
Whereas in Mumbai, a uniformed conductor will approach you wherever you have seated.

You spot an empty seat,just let go off it.First you need to approach the nawab get an ticket issued, who again will take his own sweet time folding the note into half for his convenient tearing off the ticket with his hands(the tick-tick machine used by conductors in BEST) and then if you still find an empty seat, thank you luck!

Not to forget the well behaved people in the queues, here they are non-existent. Its a riot.

The BEST is simply the BEST.

Do BEST has Marcopolo fleets? The AC ones? Works well here.

[Dieseltuned]

B.E.S.T truly needs a reliable fleet of AC buses, otherwise they are going to loose more people to the Car market. (I am one of these). the frequent breakdowns have truly driven away the AC bus travelling junta to other options.

If B.E.S.T cannot afford the Volvos, the they should atleast try out the TATA MarcoPolo AC buses. TMT has these buses running on the Borivali-Thane route.

[AkMar]

An air-conditioned BEST bus caught fire at Suman Nagar on Friday morning, again raising doubts about the safety and quality of the AC Cerita buses. No one was injured as the fire was extinguished in time by the driver, but BEST committee members said the buses should be phased out at the earliest. Around 11.15am, the bus plying on the route AS-1 to Backbay depot caught fire near the tyres. "The driver noticed smoke coming out from the rear tyre on the right and halted the vehicle on the main road," said BEST spokesperson Manoj Varade. "He immediately doused the flame using the fire extinguisher. The bus was evacuated within seconds and commuters were accommodated in another AC bus. The affected bus was towed away to the nearest BEST garage," he said, adding it was a "minor fire". Asked about the cause, he said, "Preliminary inquiries reveal it was an 'oil and liner friction' which led to the fire." He added that a detailed probe was underway.

Source

I really hope there is a series of major issues in these buses which will take them off the roads for good. I appreciate MSRTC here, as they took the entire Kinglong fleet off the roads permanently after one of them caught fire.

[TaurusAl]

This picture has been doing rounds on internet. Anyone knows what this is ?

[green_wheel]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

This picture has been doing rounds on internet. Anyone knows what this is ?

That is NewZealand Hostel in Aarey colony. Sorry to let your hopes down.

[TaurusAl]

I have seen many car owners stopping the bus drivers and noting their details for rash driving. Some take extreme steps like one in this story.


Mercedes driver who thrashed BEST staffer in police custody


The driver of the Mercedes car, Chandranarayan Mishra, who along with his employer Ajit Shetty had assaulted a BEST driver, was arrested and sent to police custody on Sunday.

Mishra was booked for obstructing a government servant from performing duty. "We are looking for Shetty, who owns the car and is actor Suniel Shetty's close relative," said Vinayak Deshmukh, deputy commissioner of police (zone 3).


Full Story -
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/28452321.cms