With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections on the horizon, the state of Mumbai's iconic red BEST buses has curiously slipped from the political spotlight. This is despite a fundamental and alarming shift in the city's public transport backbone, where the once fully public service is now overwhelmingly run by private contractors, raising serious questions about safety, reliability, and control.
From Public Lifeline to Private Fleet: The Shrinking BEST
Every day, lakhs of Mumbaikars depend on the red buses, but the system behind them has transformed. The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking now owns a shockingly small portion of the buses it operates. As of late 2025, BEST owned just 308 buses – a mere 283 non-airconditioned and 25 airconditioned vehicles.
In stark contrast, the service is kept running by 2,340 buses operating on wet-lease contracts with private companies. This means out of a total fleet of 2,648 buses, only about one in ten actually belongs to BEST. The remaining nine are operated by private firms. The shift is most pronounced in air-conditioned services, where BEST's 25 AC buses are dwarfed by 1,720 privately-run AC buses on Mumbai's roads.
Safety in Question: Accident Data Points to Private Buses
This growing reliance on private contractors has coincided with worrying safety statistics. Data reveals that between January 2023 and December 2025, BEST buses were involved in 958 accidents, resulting in 77 fatalities and 217 injuries. The year 2025 alone saw 606 accidents reported in just the first 11 months.
A deeper look shows that 582 of these 2025 accidents involved wet-leased buses, indicating that the majority of crashes involved privately operated vehicles. Two tragic incidents particularly shocked the city: a December 2024 accident in Kurla West where a wet-leased electric bus killed several pedestrians, and a similar December 2025 incident near Bhandup railway station that killed at least four commuters.
Transport experts point to a potential cause: drivers for contracted buses often receive less rigorous training compared to BEST's permanent staff. Data from 2024 and 2025 also highlighted that many fatal accidents involved buses from a single manufacturer, Olectra.
Broken Promises and New Pledges Ahead of 2026 Polls
The current state of BEST stands in direct contrast to the promises made during the 2017 BMC elections. Parties like Shiv Sena had pledged more buses, electric vehicles, and better feeder routes. The BJP promised improved safety and coverage, while the NCP talked of increasing buses in suburbs. Eight years later, these promises remain largely unfulfilled, even as dependence on private buses has skyrocketed.
Anil Patankar, Shiv Sena leader and former BEST chairman, emphasized the need for stronger oversight. "Today, with the fleet heavily reliant on wet‑leased buses, we need stronger training, oversight, and quality control to ensure every vehicle and driver meets the highest safety standards," he said.
As the 2026 elections approach, fresh promises are being made. The Congress has vowed to stop new private contracts and bring all operations under BEST control within three years. The Shiv Sena (UBT)–MNS alliance is promising lower fares and more buses, and the Aam Aadmi Party has pledged a fleet of 10,000 electric buses with free travel for women and students.
Ravi Raja, a five-time corporator and former Leader of the Opposition now contesting on a BJP ticket, summarized the core issue: "Weakening BEST’s direct control has led to higher accident rates, inconsistent training, and reduced service quality. To serve Mumbaikars properly, BEST must be a publicly controlled, safety-first service."
The question for Mumbai's voters is whether these new pledges will fare better than the old ones, or if the city's bus lifeline will continue to be steered by private hands, with public accountability fading like a distant bus stop.
