BEST … The name conjures up a vehicle filled beyond capacity, an irate conductor and a manic-depressive driver, doesn’t it?
But that is all going to be in the past. A recent article in a leading business magazine states that BEST has vowed to transform the way people travel. And how!
According to the latest decree of the government, there will be exclusive batches organized for the conductors to make them better adept at speaking more civilly with the general public. The availability of an in-house counselor in BEST bus-stations to deal with stress, which we must confess, is a foremost part of the lives of every Mumbaite, will be an added advantage.
There are going to be special courses for the bus drivers too, to facilitate them to portray an enhanced image to the public. Bus drivers, in the near future, will have to stop the bus instantaneously for the elderly, learn to greet everyone who gets into the bus from the front and most of all stop the reckless switching over of lanes that is considered the birthright of every BEST driver in today’s times.
The BEST also plans to introduce newer routes and increase the number of plying buses throughout Bombay by doubling the number of buses on the roads.
Cementing and tarring is also in full-flow with most of the routes in Bombay acquiring better roads (and thankfully, this time around, the work won’t start right before the onslaught of the monsoon).
So, with quite a few revolutionary transformations in the pipeline, the government is all set to change the face of Bombay starting with its most important commuter service – BEST.
All we can do is keep our fingers crossed and hope for the BEST!