BEST Bus rapid transit on exp highway

BEST will run air-conditioned King Long buses on a dedicated bus lane (DBL) on the Western Express Highway between Andheri and Kandivli from this month.

"It is a precursor to the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS)," BEST committee chairman Sanjay Potnis said on Tuesday.

"Our buses will run (on trial basis for a few months) on the stretch between Andheri flyover and the Times of India press. The project will be supervised by the MMRDA, the nodal authority. The traffic police, BMC and RTO, besides BEST, will ensure that the buses run unhindered at a frequency of three to five minutes on the DBL."

This means the buses will be immune to snarl-ups and zip past vehicles stranded in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

BEST general manager Om Prakash Gupta said: "We are waiting for a go-ahead from the MMRDA. Our buses can be put into operation on the proposed route within 24 hours."

Potnis said the RTO and the traffic police would evaluate the feasibility of running buses on DBLs. "There are practical problems. It needs to be ensured that no private vehicle, auto or taxi enters the lane."

If the trial is successful, BEST will extend the DBL to cover the highway from Bandra to Dahisar. Last year, BEST launched a 'fast track' corridor between Mahim an Mira Road along S V Road. The DBL, in comparison, will ensure faster travel.