BEST adds 44 AC electric buses at Magathane Depot

Forty-four air-conditioned electric buses joined BEST’s fleet at Magathane Depot on Tuesday. BEST plans to deploy them on five routes serving Kandivali, Chandivali, Borivali, Mira Road and Thane.

BEST Committee chairperson Trupti Vishwasrao attended the induction event at the depot. Evey Trans Maharashtra Pvt Ltd is supplying the 12-metre buses under a rental arrangement and now has 94 buses in the BEST fleet.

The destinations listed for the new services are Kandivali Bus Station (East), Sangharsh Nagar in Chandivali, Samata Nagar Bus Station in Kandivali East, Borivali Station (East), Mira Road Station (East) and Thane Station (East).

The buses have anti-lock brakes, hydraulic power-assisted steering, CCTV cameras, emergency panic buttons and vehicle-tracking systems. BEST said the revised battery layout reduces battery weight by about 16% compared with earlier models. The batteries have been moved from the roof to the lower section of the vehicle, which BEST said improves weight distribution and frees up space.