‘Should not be run with profit motive’: Congress releases BEST revival manifesto

Pitching BEST as an essential public service, the Congress said the civic transport undertaking should not be run with a profit motive (File Photo)

Ten days ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the Mumbai unit of the Indian National Congress (INC) on Sunday released a manifesto exclusively focused on reviving the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking.

Titled BEST Revival: 9-Point Action Plan, the document has been issued under the banner “Mission BEST Bachao” by Congress leaders Sachin Sawant and MP and Mumbai Pradesh Congress Committee president Varsha Gaikwad.

Pitching BEST as an essential public service, the Congress said the civic transport undertaking should not be run with a profit motive. The party blamed the current administrator-led system and increasing dependence on private contractors for rising costs, service cuts and declining reliability.

The manifesto proposes that all operational expenses of BEST be borne directly by the BMC, with additional funds raised through parking fees and other municipal charges. It also states that bus fares should not be increased without a public hearing and a recommendation from an independent committee.

A key promise in the plan is to halt privatisation. The Congress has said it will stop all new wet-lease and private contracts and bring operations, maintenance and staffing fully under BEST within three years. It has also demanded a CAG-approved independent audit to examine falling revenues, rising costs and the performance of private operators.

The manifesto also commits to restoring long-distance and cross-city routes discontinued after 2017 and introducing new east-west and cross-harbour routes based on passenger surveys.

Opposing the sale or commercial development of BEST depot land, the Congress said all depots should be reserved strictly for transport-related use and that past land deals must be audited. On passenger safety, it has promised a public portal detailing breakdowns, fires and complaints, daily inspections of contract buses during the transition phase, and regular fire safety checks of electric buses.