The open-deck double-decker buses, which have served as sightseeing buses for tourists since the 1990s, will also disappear from the city streets in the first week of October, he added.
Mumbai’s iconic red double-decker buses, a significant part of the city’s public transport for over eight decades, will cease operations this week. An official from the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking confirmed this on September 12.
The open-deck double-decker buses, known for providing sightseeing tours for tourists since the 1990s, will also be removed from the city streets in the first week of October, according to the official from the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking.
“As these vehicles are completing 15 years of their coral life, the double-decker buses will forever go off roads from September 15, while the open-deck buses will be pulled out on October 5,” news agency PTI quoted the spokesperson as saying.
To compensate for the same, commuter groups and bus enthusiasts have urged BEST to preserve at least two of these iconic vehicles at its Anik depot-based museum and have written to the Maharashtra Chief Minister, tourism minister and the BEST administration.
“Currently, just seven double-decker buses, including three open-deck buses are left in the BEST’s fleet. As these vehicles are completing 15 years of their codal life, the double-decker buses will forever go off roads from September 15, while the open-deck buses will be pulled out on October 5,” a BEST spokesperson said.