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PROFILE OF BEST UNDERTAKING

Type: Autonomous State-owned enterprise

Founded: Mumbai (1873)

Headquarters: Mumbai, India

Industry: Public transport, Electricity

Revenues:Rs. 2,353.40 cr. (2004)

Employees: 44, 000 (2005)

Website:www.bestundertaking.com


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INDEX:

SR.NO CONTENTS PAGE NO.

1. INTRODUCTION OF B.E.S.T 5

2. HISTORY OF BEST BUSES 8

3.

ROUTES9

4. TYPES OF BUSES 11

5. SERVICES 15

6. Go Mumbai smart card 25

7. Kaizen 26

8. TQM in Personnel 27

9. Result 31


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INTRODUCTION OF B.E.S.T

Organizational Information

Mumbai the capital of Maharashtra, worldwide known as the commercial capital

of India, is a cluster of seven islands spread over a vast area of 430 sq.kms. It's

western borders reaching upto Dahisar and Eastern borders upto Mulund.

Significantly contributing to the industrial development of India, this city has it's

'Arteries' in the form of Central andWesternRailways. Notless importantly than

that, BEST's Bus Service running across the vast area of Brihan Mumbai limits,

can be very well called the blood vessels of this metropolis.

The transportation wing of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport

Undertaking operates a large number of bus lines in the Mumbai metropolitan area.

These buses are called BESTorB.E ST bus. BEST bus serves the entire Mumbai

City. It also has operation outside city limits into neighboring Navi Mumbai,

Thane and Mira-Bhayandar. The BEST also operates bus rapid transit service -

Mumbai BRTS. Mumbai BRTS is a massive Bus Rapid Transit System taken up

by the MCGM, B.E.S.T Undertaking, and Government of Maharashtra. The

Mumbai BRTS began operation in 2008.

In 1873, the Bombay Tramway Company Limited was given the license to operate

trams in the city. The Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) was given the right

to purchase the company after first twenty-five years, or after every period of

seven years thereafter. In 1874, the Bombay Tramways Act was enacted after the

contract was formally signed between the Municipality and the Company to start

such a tramway service. The Municipality could have taken over the Company in

1894 as stipulated by the contract, but it waived the right and the Bombay

Tramway Company Limited was given extension till 1901. In 1899, the Company

applied to run its tram-cars on electricity. It also filed a plea that considering heavyexpenditure the company will occur the Municipality should waive its right of

taking it over in 1901. But even before the application was disposed of, the

Municipality decided to exercise its right to take over the Company. In 1905, The

Bombay Electric Supply & Tramways Company Limited (B.E.S. & T Co.Ltd)

bought the Bombay Tramway Company Limited.


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On 9 May 1874, the company started Hourse-drawn tram operation. It introduced

two kinds of trams on road - those drawn by one horse and those drawn by two.

Initially the company started with a fleet of20 cars and 200 horses. Because it was

an unfamiliar vehicle and high fare the tram-car was not at first received with the

enthusiasm shown for the railway. The company brought down the fare and made

special effort to persuade the public that tram was cheap, fast and smooth.

Formation of the Bombay Electric Supply & Tramways Company

Limited -

Mumbai first electric tram car began operations in 1907.

In 1905, a newly formed concern The Bombay Electric Supply & Tramways

Company Limited (B.E.S. & T Co.Ltd) bought the Bombay Tramway Company

Limited and the first electrically operated tram-car appeared on Mumbais roads in

1907.

B.E.S. & T Co.Ltd placed order for the city's first electric tram-car with the Brush

Electrical Company of London. The vehicle arrived in Mumbai in January 1906.

The service was formally inaugurated on 7 May 1907 by the Chairman of theMunicipality. The inaugural service ran between Municipal Office building and

Crawford Market. Regular services started from next day. Unlike the horse drawn

tram, electric tram drew praise from public for its comfort and low fare. The Upper

Class in the tram-cars was removed after some time. By 1910 the company faced

rush hour traffic during office hours and there were not enough trams to cope with


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the office goers. The company asked for permission to run a triple car and allow

standees on tram, the first was rejecting and later discontinued in 1914.

Double-decker electric trams were introduced in September, 1920 to ease rush

hour traffic.

To handle rush-hour traffic double-decker trams were introduced on Mumbais

roads in September, 1920.

The BEST has been fully conscious of the alarming levels of pollution in cities.

With modern and reliable technology, the BEST has been making constant efforts

not only to keep pollution level under control, but minimize it. Keeping this viewin mind the BEST has introduced CNG buses, i.e. buses run on Compressed

Natural Gas in the Golden Jubilee year. CNG run buses being almost pollution free

as compared to the diesel run buses their introduction on Mumbai roads has proved

the responsibility of public transport.

The BEST has a well-equipped Training Center for the traffic staff and designed

program to reeducate them on such relevant topics as fuel conservation, safety

measures, behavior with the public etc. Training is also imparted in Refresher

Courses to improve driving habits of the drivers under which officers check the

habits of drivers constantly and as a result of which there is a great reduction in

accidents. In the Refresher Courses, the stress is on image revamp from a mere

BEST employee to a concerned individual who cared for passenger comfort, The

accident prevention wing of the BEST has an accident prevention van with safety

slogans and equipped with instructive audio-visual programs.


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HISTORY OF BEST BUSES:

The Bombay Tramway Company limited was formally set up in 1873. The

Mumbai Municipality was given the right to buy up the concern after the first 25 or

after every period of 7 years thereafter. After this contract was entered into

between the Bombay Tramway Company and the Municipality, the Government of

Mumbai enacted the Bombay Tramways Act, 1874, under which the company was

licensed to run a tramway service in the city. The tram cars were of two kinds of

those drawn by one horse and those drawn by two. In 1905, a newly formed

concern, The Bombay Electric Supply and Tramways Company Limited bought

the Bombay Electric Supply and Tramway Company and the first electricallyoperated tram car appeared on Mumbais roads in 1907. To overcome the problems

of rush hours the BEST Company introduced the Double Decker trams were

introduced in September, 1920.

Mumbai saw its first bus run on 15th

July, 1926. The people of Mumbai received

the bus with enthusiasm, but it took quite sometimes before this means of

conveyance really established itself. For several years, it was like upon as transport

for the upper middle classes. Those were the days when the poor mans transport,

carried one all the way from Sassoon Dock to Dadar for a mere on paisa and a halfthat was nine paisa. The bus fare for the same journey was four paisa that is 25

paisa.

Double deck buses were introduced in 1937 in order to cope better with the

growing traffic. The first limited bus service in Mumbai, and probably the first in

the country as well, started running in 1940 between Colaba and Mahim.

Thus, the Bombay Electric Supply and Transport Company were municipalized

and came to be known as Bombay Electric Supply & Transport Undertaking. The

BEST has completed 50 years of its municipalisation on 7th August, 1997.

The city of Mumbai has grown from a small trading center 50 years and now

rightly called the first commercial capital of India. Mumbai Electric Supply

&Transport Undertaking, popularly known as BEST has scored many firsts in

the countrys life and established many records. The changeover from horse driven

trams to buses has been spectacular.


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ROUTES:

The routes operated by the BEST can be broadly classified in the following

categories.

1) Feeder Routes:These routes which feed the railway station either from the

residential complexes or Business Districts.

2) East-West Connectors:These are the routes, which run East/West, where

railways have no role to play and connect the Western Suburb with the Eastern

suburb.

3) Trunk Routes:These routes run South-North through the city and are almost

parallel to the railways.

4) BRTS Routes :These route runs on Western, and Easter Express Highways, to

provide faster services to the commuters.

The primary role of the BEST is to supplement Suburban Rails, which is the mass

carrier. It is for this reason that BEST always gives priority for feeder routes and

thereafter for East-West connectors where the railways have absolutely no direct

role to play. The third priority is the long distance trunk route, which is analternative to Suburban Railways, apart from being inter-corridor link between

Suburbs and City.

The BEST always gets suggestions for introducing new routes. These suggestions

are categorized into the above mentioned groups. While introducing new operation

on any new road the following requirement are insured for maintaining the quality

of services.

(1)The road is municipalized.(2)The road is bus worthy and wide enough to allow the passage of two.(3)There are no overhead obstructions in the form of cables / tress branches.(4)There are enough streetlights.(5)Traveling will be comfortable.(6)There is a good turning circle at the terminating point.


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At this stage it is necessary to state that when every commuter desires a direct

connection, he should realize that it is not always possible to inter connect every

point with a direct route. One change is absolutely inevitable in any city transport

network. In spite of this the BEST tries to provide a direct connection wherever

absolutely required but specific access to some areas is available with one

changeover. For convenient changeovers, the Undertaking has introduced Bus Pass

Scheme, and Daily Travel As you like passes. With these passes the commuter

can easily changeover on parallel routes, and can enjoy multiple journeys.

The common citizen of Mumbai is obviously not aware of many surprising

features of the BEST's Bus Service. Just to state a few examples :

Bus Route No. 166 - plies on roads interconnecting maximum Hospitals.

Bus Route No. 161 - This route covers on the way maximum Oil Reservoirs andunpopulated areas in Eastern wings of the city.

Bus Route No. 9 - A network of large number of school and colleges is

interwoven by this route.

Bus Route No. 320, 22ltd., 25ltd. - These routes have an outstanding feature of

connecting two largest water reservoirs of the city.

Bus Route No. 66Ltd Special Night Trips are available on this bus route.

Examples :

BUS NO. TYPE FROM TO

249 ORD ANDHERI STATION (W) VESAVE-YARI ROAD

251 ORD ANDHERI STATION (W) VESAVE-YARI ROAD

250 ORD ANDHERI STATION (W) GILBERT HILL

257 ORD ANDHERI STATION (W) J.V.P.D.BUS STATION

259 ORD ANDHERI STATION (W) GORAI DEPOT

268 ORD ANDHERI STATION (W) ANDHERI STATION (W)


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TYPES OF BUSES

Now days the BEST management improving and upgraded their service quality by

the help of lunching the new and modern buses like The BEST (Bombay Electric

Supply & Transport) buses run all over the city and are numerous. There are the

single buses and the red double Decker variety. Bus routes are written in Hindi on

the front and side of the bus however English is often given on signs at bus stops.

BEST Bus Facts (As of January 2010):

y About 45 lakhs people travel daily in Mumbai via bus.y Total number of buses in Mumbai is about 3500.y Approximately 350 to 370 routes there in Mumbai.y Approximate speed of bus is 12 to 15 kms per hour

There are three Basic types of Busses:-

1)Ordinary Bus.The Ordinary Bus takes longer time to reach destination as it stops at most

locations.

2)Limited Bus.The Limited Bus stops at only important locations. The only disadvantage of

travelling through Bus is you get tired very soon and that is thanks to the

pollution and crowd during peak hours.

3)AC Bus.The AC bus is a very economical way of transportation.


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NEW LAUNCHED BUSES

Midi Buses

The areas in which it was not possible for the BEST to

operate the conventional buses due to narrow roads, the

BEST has introduced Midi Buses at such places. It thus

goes on with its ultimate aim of providing a BEST bus

service to every nook and corner of the city. These are

all the new buses which are lunched by BEST buses

management now days they are more concern about

the customers retaliation and the customer satisfaction. Thats why the best had

taken decision to improve the service quality. And now they are providing the new

and updated services to the customer to gain the customer satisfaction.

CNG Buses (Compress Natural Gas) -

The demand for petroleum products in India has been

increasing at a rate higher than the increase in domestic

availability. At the same time there is continuous pressure

on emission control through periodically tightened

regulations particularly for metropolitan cities. In the wake

of this situation there is an urgent need to promote use of

alternative fuel as substitute for HSD. Among the options

Compressed Natural Gas has received a great deal of

attention and has been already applied successfully to some of the BEST buses

(first time in India). The BEST is planning to increase the strength of CNG buses


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in its fleet. BEST currently has 1500+ environment friendly CNG (compressed

natural gas) buses on its fleet and plants to increase the number of buses.

CNG can be used in the existing SI/CI engines with minor modifications -

y Availability in abundance.y CNG is a clear burning fuel, with no black smoke and very low particulate

emissions. Thus CNG engine is environmental friendly.

y CNG being lighter than air diffuses upwards.y CNG is very safe fuel due to its very narrow flammability limits.y Excellent knock resistant, lower compression ratio. Lower rates of pressure

rise and low peak cylinder pressures.

y Low noise level of the engine. This will add to passenger comfort

A/C Buses

BEST undertaking has introduced the new services to Mumbai commuters called

as BRTS King long AC buses which are Volvo type buses with fully air

conditioned.

In an honest effort to attract the private vehicle owners to BEST buses and thereby

reduce the congestion to some extent on Mumbai city roads, which affects the

mobility of vehicles, BEST has introduced 71 Air-conditioned buses, including 20

newly introduced King Long make buses.

There are two types of services available, AC Standard and AC Express.

AC Standard bus services are having more stoppages as compared to AC Express

bus services which take minimum stoppages and are mostly from point to pointtype of service. You can identify the normal route which starts from the letter AS

and an express bus route start with the letter ACEXP.


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The salient features of these buses are:-

y Luxury seats with soft transom fabric.y Completely Air-conditioned passenger saloon (for A/C Buses).y Carpeted flooring.y Wide corridor for easy movement.y Stanchion bars for safe movement in the

corridor (for Luxury Buses).

CNG powered Mini bus

This bus is built on a very high floor type chasis.Even higher than the conventional non MUTP

buses.

It is Ashok Leyland engine that is built on an ecometchasis as the steering wheel

and instrument panel are from the ecomet range and the unconventional seating

style with only one door in the front leads to problems for the passengers getting in

and out even though the door is wider than the normal ones.

Double-decker busesA double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or 'decks'.Mumbai has operated double-decker buses since 1937. They are operated by the

Brihan Mumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking.

Double-decker BEST buses are Mumbai's heritage and pride. These red buses were

unfortunately relegated to only Churchgate-CST-Colaba to NCPA and some

suburban areas.


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SERVICES:A.Frequency:

The frequency of the BEST buses should be appropriate. It should not be

very low as it will affect the bus service and the buses will be very crowded.

However it should also not be too high because it may result in buses going

with very less commuters resulting in wastage. The right frequency should

be decided. Usually during lunch time the frequency of the bus is very less.

This can be improved by setting different lunch times for the conductors and

drivers of the respective buses. If possible there should also be flexibility in

the buses like if a bus of a particular destination is going very crowded and a

bus of another destination is going almost empty then the bus which is going

empty can be converted into the bus number which is very crowded.

B.Facilities:BEST believes that it has a social obligation towards the city where it has

grown. As such it is felt essential to provide concession to certain sections of

society. A few schemes are listed below.

1. Free Travel Facility:Presently, the BEST provides free travel facility to the freedom

fighters. One person accompanying the freedom fighter is also

permitted to travel free. Municipal Councilors and Non-Councilor

Members of the BEST Committee are also permitted to travel free onBEST buses. Adhoc Members of Legislative Assembly and

Legislative Council, accompanied by his wife and Female Members

accompanied by any one viz. husband, son, daughter, father, mother,

brother or sister are allowed to travel free on BEST buses. Police

personnel are allowed to travel free on BEST buses against an ad-hoc

payment of compensation towards free travel facility by the

Government of Maharashtra. This facility of free travel however is not

available on Luxury and Air-Conditioned services.

2. Concessional Fare:Children below 12 years of age are charged concessional fare. Student

studying upto Higher Secondary and upto the age of22 years are

charged concessional fare. Persons who are 60 % and above,

permanently Orthopaedically handicapped are charged concessional


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fare. Blind persons are charged a flat fare of Re.1/- per journey.

Concessional fare facility is not available on Luxury and Air-

Conditioned Services.

3. Reservation of Seats:The BEST has reserved 3 seats for handicapped person, 2 seats for

Senior Citizens and 6 seats for lady passengers in the Single Decker

buses. In the Double Decker buses it has reserved 3 seats each for lady

passengers and handicapped persons and 2 seats for Senior Citizens.

4. Front Door Entry:The BEST have permitted physically and mentally handicapped

persons, senior citizens, and expectant mothers to board the bus from

the front door except at starting point.

5. Passenger Refund Claims:In case the conductor does not have enough change to return the

balance of the passenger, he writes on the back of the ticket the

amount of balance due and authenticates the same. Such a ticket is

treated as a receipt by the BEST. The passenger can claim the balance

amount from Ticket & Cash Department, head office at Wadala after

producing the ticket.

6. Lost Property:The lost property section of the Transport Division is in existence

prior to the municipalisation of the BEST Undertaking in the year

1947. Initially the Lost Property section was at Colaba Depot,

Transport House and it was subsequently shifted to 2nd floor of

Wadala Depot, Administrative Building with effect from 01/02/1980.

As per Act 132(4) of Bombay Motor Vehicle Rules 1959 (New

rule 122 of Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules 1989), the Lost

Properties were required to be handed over to the Police Department,

However the BEST Undertaking has been exempted from theprovision of rule 132(4), and therefore all such articles are deposited

in the Lost Property Section of the Undertaking.

The articles found by the conductor or any other member of

staff in the bus or in the premises of the Undertaking are handed over

to the nearest Bus Terminus Starter, who sent it to the concerned

Depot. These articles are then forwarded to the Lost Property Section.


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On receipt of such articles from Depots to Lost Property Section the

same are entered in the register maintained for the purpose. A letter of

appreciation is issued to the member of staff who deposits lost

property articles. If the value of the article deposited is Rs.2000/- or

more then the concerned member of staff is recommended for cash

reward / appreciation letter

7. Disaster Management:In the event of disruption of rail services the BEST operates additional

buses in the area of disruption. Timely actions are taken with the help

of our communication system. The BEST has a disaster management

plan in place to tackle any difficulty. It even has a IN-HOUSE CORE

TEAM FOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT AT DEPOT LEVEL. The

BEST has even identified possible flood points in different divisions

and has a diversion plan in place to tackle if a situation of flood arises.

8. Helpline facilities:BEST is working hard to improve the quality of services given to the

commuters. Authorities closely monitor the services for maintaining

the Punctuality, Reliability, and Regularity. It is said that the city can

be considered as normal if the BEST bus is seen plying on its roads.

BEST gets immense satisfaction when a bus is seen plying during the

heavy monsoon when everything else stands still. Just as food,

clothing and shelter are considered to be the basic needs, in the samemanner the BEST bus also has become an integral part in the life of

the citizens of this Mumbai. Passenger's suggestions, queries, and

complaints are heard/examined and rightful decisions are taken.

In case of general bus operation information and in emergency

one can contact at the toll Free Number 1800 227550. Numbers are

also given on the BEST website which can be used at the time of

Refund of Passenger Balance, Accident and Claims and Lost Property

Claims. One can also get the name of the Depot Manager as well as

the contact number of all the depots at the website of BEST.

9. Grab Handles on BEST Buses:M/s. Admire Sign & Display Pvt. Ltd., a firm engaged in business of

advertising has replaced the old grab handles with those of

international design and standard. These Grab Handles are patented

product and would be maintained by them. The space on grab handles


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will be sold by them as an advertisement space at their cost and the

revenue will be shared with BEST on a fixed income per bus per

month.

New upgraded services

(1) Zero Waiting Plan(2) Growing fleet(3) Festival Operation Plan(4) Ladies special(5) Operation of Midi Buses(6) Excursion Action Plan

(1) Zero Waiting Time Plan The BEST operates buses with Zero Waiting Time concept on different routes

during the Morning and Evening peak hours to have faster clearance of heavy

passenger traffic outside Railway Stations and major

residential/commercial/CBD Areas. The BEST ensures that a bus is always

waiting for a passenger rather than having it the other way round. The plan is

designed keeping in mind the volume/period of traffic with a view to encourage

use of Public Transport and discourage use of private and Intermediate Personal

Transport modes like Taxis and Auto rickshaws. The important points of

operation are Bhatia Baug, NCPA, World Trade Center, etc.

(2)The Growing Fleet

The Undertaking applied itself to improving its service in many of its aspects, but

the prime need was for increasing the number of buses. Since its inception in

August 1947, the Undertaking has been making a well-planned effort to meet theneed. Every year brought new vehicles. In 1947, 242 vehicles were on the roads. In

ten years the number swelled to 582.

A double-decker bus was more suitable than a single-decker one, for occupying no

more road space than the latter and with only one driver; it carried one and a half

times as many passengers.


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Excursion Services

BEST in collaboration with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation,

has introduced a special heritage tour with effect from 26th January 1997, in an

Open Deck Bus in South Mumbai.Ground bookings

Operation beyond municipal limits

Bust transport in suburbs

More facilities for passenger

Ferry services

Bus fares

The excursion services can be better explained with the help of following chart -

(1) Ground Bookings For the convenience of the passenger the Undertaking has implemented ground

booking scheme at the prominent locations during peak hours.

(2) Operating Beyond the Municipal Limits The BEST operates inter-city services to three different areas beyond the

Municipal limits of Mumbai city, i.e. into the limits of the bordering corporations.

EXCURSION

SERVICES

GROUNDBOOKINGS

OPERATION

BEYOND THE

MUNICIPALLIMITS

FERRY

SERVICES

BUS

SERVICES

MORE

FACILITIES

TO JOURNIES

BUSTRANSPOT

IN

SUBURBAN


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The three areas are as follows:

1)Navi Mumbai -Due to the closure of the Bombay Metropolitan Transport Corporation, the BEST

management was requested to extend some of its services from Mumbai to Navi

Mumbai, in order to relieve the hardships faced by the commuters of NaviMumbai.

2)Mira-Bhayander-Citing the reference of the BEST operation in Navi Mumbai area, the Chairman,

Mira-Bhayander Nagar Palika and the residents of that area requested the BEST to

extend the service in their jurisdiction.

3)Thane-The Mayor, Thane Municipal Corporation had requested the BEST, on behalf of

the residents of the Thane area, to extend a few services of BEST into the

jurisdiction of Thane Municipal Corporation.

Transport is the lifeline of any city, and BEST being the monopoly stage carriage

Operator of this great Metro, it becomes the prime duty of BEST to ensure the

development of the satellite townships by providing a proper transport network. No

city or township can develop, if the Transportation, and Communication network is

not proper and it is here that the onus of developing a transport network falls on the

BEST.

(4)Bus Transport in Suburban -The Bandra Bus Company used to run the bus service in the Western suburbs. As

the Company refused to comply with the Regional Transport Authoritys order that

only the main road in those suburbs should be used for the service, the Authority

requested the B.E.S.T. undertaking to take it over immediately. That was on 30th

September, 1949. The request was more of a challenge - for it meant assuming the

responsibility of providing transport for50,000 passengers at twenty-four hours

notice. The undertaking accepted the challenge. And on 1st October 1949, B.E.S.T.

buses started plying in the western suburbs. Twenty-six buses were spared for the

service, which was hailed by the residents of the suburbs as a boon. TheUndertaking was overwhelmed with expressions of praise and gratitude. The

Undertaking bought eleven of the buses the Bandra Bus Company had been using.


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(5) More Facilities for the Passenger -You have read of the various schemes operated by the Undertaking to augment the

efficiency of its transport service. Simultaneously, more facilities, besides the daily

bus service, were being made available. Since the days of the B.E.S.T. Company,

schools and private parties had been hiring out buses, and the practice continued.Some facilities tried out by the Undertaking were given up after a while as

unworkable. The Luxury Coach Service was one of these. It was started in August

1955. The coach was fitted up with all manner of conveniences like Dunlopillo

cushions for the seats, adjustable backs, a reading light for each seat, and fans. The

coach was mainly meant for the use of foreign tourists. They were taken round in

the coach on a guided tour of the city. Accompanying them was a guide to tell

them about the important places.

(6) Ferry Services -The BEST Undertaking started a ferry service at Manori in 1981. TheBrihanmumbai Municipal Corporation entrusted the running of the service to the

Undertaking acknowledging its excellent bus service, as it were. The Undertaking

has justified the trust placed in it by making a success of the Marve-Manori ferry

service.

(7) Bus Fare -Even after the B.E.S.T. Company was taken over by the Municipal Corporation,

the bus fares continued unchanged till 31st March, 1951. For the city the fares

were telescopic, that is, as the distance increased the fare per mile came down. Forthe suburbs, the fare was flat, that is, it remained the same whatever the distance.

For one anna you could go a mile and a half in the city, but only one mile in the

suburbs.

Then came the changes in the fare-structures. From April 1951, bus travel in the

city became even cheaper, with the basic fare of one anna taking you a mile and

three quarters. However, the fractional fares, like 1.1/2 anna or2.1/2 annas and

3.1/2 annas, for the fare stages were rounded off to the full anna. In the suburbs

too the fare was brought down from one anna per mile to nine pies that are three

quarters of anna.

The disparity in the fares for the city and the suburbs was brought to an end in

October 1955. The suburbs naturally profited from this. For an anna you could now

travel a mile and three quarters, instead of a mile and a quarter. But the fractional

fares were restored.

In 1959, with decimal coinage coming into force, except for the 7 paisa fare for the

first stage, all the fares were multiples of five, that is, 10, 15, 20 and so on. These


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came into effect from 15th January 1959. From 21st April 1963, the minimum fare

was raised from 7 paisa to 10 paisa.

The Undertaking revised its bus fares from time to time strictly according to the

provision made under Govt. notification. The details of revised bus fares from

1963 onwards are given below:

Every day the Undertakings buses run about 6.51 lacs km. and carry about 47 lacs

passengers. These figures are an index of the vastness of the transport system. It

would be wrong to expect that everything will run smoothly in such an

organization. Troubles have to be taken for granted; difficulties will arise. The

organization has to take them in its stride. A trivial incident touches off a lightning

strike. There is hectic running about. The complaint is traced to a

misunderstanding. It is set right, and normal working is resumed. In 1950, the

Undertaking had a serious problem to face. Conductors in those days carried a

ticket-issuing machine, specially designed to print and produce a ticket of the

required denomination at the turning of a handle. The machine recorded theamount automatically. At the end of his day, the conductor had to pay in the days

takings as recorded. This sounds smooth and foolproof. But some conductors, who

were obviously anything but foolish, found a way of so manipulating the machine

as to make it record less than the amount collected. How much the Undertaking

was fleeced of was anybodys guess. However, the moment the trick was

discovered, the Undertaking took swift action, and in twenty-four hours the ticket-

issuing machine with every conductor was replaced with a ticket-box.

These are internal troubles; not all of them cause disturbance to the transport

service. But external troubles invariably do, and sometimes they can be serious.

The dislocation caused by the first heavy showers of the rainy season is almost a

matter of habit. The low-lying parts of the city are flooded, and buses have to be

diverted. To make it worse, the railway services too are disrupted. That puts further

responsibility on the bus service. The buses, of course, do their best, but the best in

such circumstances can never be good enough. Then there are the railway

accidents, and man-made troubles like strikes, riots and hurtles (or bandhs). They

put a heavy strain on the bus service, but it has not been found wanting.

Strikes and political agitations usually aim, among other things, at disrupting

communications. Buses, on such occasions, are exposed to the risk of being

damaged; the drivers cabin has to be fitted with wire meshes to protect him fromdifferent types of flying missiles. On some of these occasions not many people

move out. Should the bus service be suspended then? The Undertaking does not

opt for it; it owes a duty to the community.

There is always a limit to the number of buses a transport organization can run, and

to its efficiency as well, for there is a limit to what the city roads can carry. Other

means of conveyance too keep increasing in number. In Mumbai, for instance, in


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1951, the number of vehicles, leaving out buses, was 45,000. In 1961 it was

85,000, and in 1971 it reached 1, 80,000. Today there are over6 lakh vehicles on

Mumbai roads. The number continues to grow; but over the years the roads have

been the same, except for a few additions, and some widening here and there. In

such a situation, the vehicles have to move slower and slower. The average speed

of our buses has been falling down. At present it is 12 to 15 km. per hour. In the

congested localities it is as low as 6km. per hour.

BEST MAINTENANCE

Until the B.E.S.T. Company was taken over by the Municipality, only the Colaba

Depot was available for the maintenance of buses and minor repairs. As the fleet

grew, the need for more depots was felt. In 1961 the fleet comprised 1045 buses in

all. Six new depots were constructed for their maintenance. The Wadala Depot was

equipped for the maintenance of300 buses. At this time it was the largest depot in

Asia. After this, taking long maintenance experience into account, the authorities

decided that no depot should be called on to look after more than 125 to 150 buses.

Accordingly, small depots were built at convenient spots in the city and its

suburbs. In order to keep this bus fleet roadworthy, a Two-Tier System of

maintenance is followed by Transportation Engineering Department. A workshop

located centrally at Dadar acts as one work centre. Dadar workshop has a built up

area of27,170 square meters. All Unit overhauling, repairing of Body damages,

tire cut repairs, plant & equipment installation and repairs, reclamation activities

are carried out in the workshop.Every depot is another work center, which provides bus services effectively on

every day, carries out preventive maintenance as well as repairs on buses. Depots

carry out various maintenance practices such as preventive maintenance, unit

replacement, RTO passing, body damage repairs of buses. BEST buses are

operated out of the 25 bus depot located in four zones viz. City, Central, Western,

Eastern suburban zones.


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Go Mumbai smart card

On 2 January 2007 the BEST launched multi-application smart card called Go

Mumbai. Go Mumbai card can be used for storing Season tickets, single journey

and extension tickets. The Fares using bus pass can be paid only by Go Mumbai

smart card. The Go Mumbai smart card was subsequently made valid for travel onCentral Railwaymain line and Harbor line.

In a move to aid commuter convenience, and to mitigate its cash handling pains,

Mumbais public transport operator, BEST, unveiled a new alternative method of

paying bus fares. The project is supported by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation

(HPCL) and ICICI Bank and is implemented by a consortium of companies led

by A Little World Pvt Ltd.

From November 19, 2004, Route Special-8 plying from Churchgate to WorldTrade Centre (both in South Mumbai) has started accepting contact-less smart

cards for automatic fare collection in BEST buses. The multi-application card

system will be called GO Mumbai. This is for a pilot of500 cards. Phase 1 of

the system will cover about 760 buses by mid 2005.

ICICI Bank is the settlement bank for BEST providing automated banking

systems and on-line load facilities from designated accounts.

Fare Collection Devices will be installed at the entry and exit doors of BEST

buses. The cardholder will present the GO card to this device at the start of thejourney by touching it to the device or bringing it within a few centimeters of the

device. The card can even be kept in the wallet and the wallet can be scanned by

the device. The proximity between the card and the device is to be maintained for

less than half a second.

The principal technology provider for the system is ERG Transit Systems, which

have done similar projects in Singapore and Hong Kong and in US, Europe and

Australia. The system will reduce the load on overworked conductors, and

provide BEST greater flexibility in fare structuring in the future.

"This is a red-letter day. A journey begins with buying a ticket and serpentine

queues can be extremely cumbersome for passengers. The 'GO Mumbai' smartcard

is one of the steps we have taken to permanently terminate these long queues," said

general manager of CR, SowmyaRaghavan, who unveiled the card.


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Kaizen

December 3 The Central Railway is likely to introduce the GO Mumbai smart

cards in January 2008, six months after its scheduled launch in July this year. The

delay has been caused since the validators have not been installed.

The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking had

launched the smart cards in January this year.

Service provider M/s Kaizen Automation Pvt Ltd has to finish the work of

installing the system. Our role is very limited as we are facilitators in this public-

private partnership (PPP) project, said a senior railway official. The official added

that Kaizen will be bearing the entire cost of the project.

With the introduction of this system, the multi-application cards that is widely usedby the BEST bus commuters will also be used by the Central Railway passengers

to have cash-less transactions, both by daily as well as season ticket holders.

The multi-application cards, already in use in countries like Singapore, Hong

Kong, USA, Australia, and Europe works on radio frequency of 13.56 MHzs The

debit card has to be swiped against validators. The idea behind introducing this

system is to aim for total cash-less transaction with complete security and also to

reduce long queues. The card can be used for passes or tickets in trains and buses.

Each card has an embedded micro-processor chip which reads and processes the

data i.e. the type of ticket bought.

The cards will be available in multiples of Rs 50, with the upper limit as Rs 5,000.

As of now, over 100 service delivery points (SDPs) have been set up at BEST bus

stations from where the cards can be bought. Once the scheme is launched, CR will

open separate windows for selling cards. It will also install separate validators for

first class and second class commuters.

Kaizen is moving at a good pace and just have to put an extra effort to complete

the work by January, said the official.

The smartcard, similar to London's Oyster Card, is pre-loaded with credit (in

multiples of Rs 50 up to a maximum Rs 2,000). Commuters have to flash the card

on a validator at the start and end of the journey.

The system then deducts the appropriate amount of fare for the specific journey.


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As many as 434 validators for the smartcard have already been set up at the entry

and exit gates of23 stations.

The smartcard, which was developed by Kaizen Automation, is common for the

first and second class but the differentiation is based on the validation.

Ticket checkers, who will be equipped with hand-held devices to check the validity

and class of travel, will ensure that the card is not being misused. In addition, if the

card is not flashed at the destination station, the maximum possible fare on the

transit service providers' route will be deducted from the card.

The card is available at 125 service delivery points across the city which include

BEST chowkies and 10 important stations on CR. The card will remain valid up to

five years from the date of issue and two years from the last date of use.

Commuters have to pay a onetime cost of Rs 37, which includes card issuance and

activation fee of Rs 10, a refundable security deposit of Rs 25 and ID cost of Rs 2.


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TQM in Personnel

In any organization there are efforts to increase production with or without

increase in productivity. Following are the main schemes introduced by BESTbuses management to improve the quality of the personnel policies

(1)Incentive Bonus Scheme For The Employees -To provide the passengers with a comfortable bus service needs a sufficient

number of vehicles. The Undertaking has always been trying to achieve such

sufficiency. But then what does sufficient mean? You cannot define it. The

vehicles are just one factor in a bus transport system. There are others like the

conductors, the drivers, the maintenance staff and the repairs staff in the

workshops. If all these employees are not up to the mark, no increase in the

number of buses is going to make it sufficient. So much depends on theproportion of vehicles stabled for repairs.

Similarly, the efficiency of the service depends a good deal on the conductor and

the driver not unnecessarily holding up the movement of their vehicle, the

conductor issuing tickets promptly, and taking care to avoid altercation with the

passengers. Efforts to secure such efficiency have to be made methodically.

Some efforts made by the Undertaking in this direction in the beginning were as

follows:

(1) The system of granting an efficiency bonus of Rs.25 every quarter was started

in 1951. It applied to both the conductors and the drivers. To be eligible for the

bonus, the employed had to attain a certain level in attendance and in efficiency.

(2) Absenteeism among employees is epidemic in the March June period. For lack

of conductors and drivers, the usual number of buses cannot go out on the roads. A

special bonus scheme had therefore been instituted for this period, to dissaude

them from going on leave.

(3) A scheme called Model Unit was started in 1961. To find out the defects in

the maintenance of vehicles, and to decide on the remedies for them, fifty vehicles

of the same make were grouped together, and their maintenance was to be carried

out according to the methods and time-table laid down by the manufacturers.


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On the basis of this, a model maintenance system was to be finalised, and then

applied to all the vehicles of that make. To operate the scheme, fifty double-decker

buses of Leyland Titan make were grouped together in the Central Depot. Similar

groups were made in the other depots, one by one. Selected drivers were put on

these vehicles.

(4) Sometimes it is minor defect which puts a bus out of action. In order that such a

bus should not get stuck on the road for long, mechanics were stationed specially

for the job at some of the starters chowkies at the important termini. To deal with

major defects there is a Breakdown Lorry or Van. The van goes to the ailing bus,

and sets it right as quickly as possible.

(5) The schemes like bus running control, the wireless van, etc. were in

operation. The wireless van is a special feature. It does important jobs like

reporting breakdowns of vehicles to the staff concerned or asking for extra buses atpoints where there are inordinately long queues of passengers.

These schemes were definitely instrumental in increasing efficiency. And yet they

seemed to fall short of the requirements.

There were not enough vehicles. The proportion of absentees came down, but even

then it was large enough to affect the working. Would the recruitment of women

conductors bring about an improvement in the attendance? This was considered in

1951.

Then there were the sick vehicles. Although their proportion was gradually coming

down, it was still considerably higher than in the bus systems in cities like London,

New York and Tokyo. There was much scope for improvement in the maintenance

of vehicles. The rainy season brought in its wake a flood of complaints about

leaking roofs and windows that got stuck. The population of the city kept growing.

It was a trying situation, and it called for more thoroughgoing and fundamental

improvement. "The Incentive Bonus Scheme for Bus Transport instituted in April

1967 proved quite effective in combating some of the troubles mentioned above.


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(2)Bonus Scheme for Conductors -

Under this scheme, a conductor was to be granted a bonus for extra work. The

fare collected by him during the month was taken as his work. Some of the

immediate benefits of the scheme were as follows:(1) The number of complaints received from passengers dropped from 600 to 400

per month.

(2) The Undertaking could cope with the traffic without increasing the number of

buses.

(3) Passengers had to wait for a shorter time in queues.

(4) The proportion of absentees among conductors came down

New Incentive Bonus Scheme -

Like the conductors, the three categories of staff namely Bus Drivers, Workers in

the Traffic and Engineering Departments and the Maintenance Staff are important

in a bus-transport system achieving maximum efficiency. But, in their case, the

efficiency is not of an individual; it is the result of the co-operative effort of

workers from each of the three categories. Such joint effort enables a bus to run

smoothly and punctually. This scheme was designed to keep more buses running -

that is, to reduce the number of sick buses.

In 1969, this scheme brought down the percentage of sick vehicles by 2 to 3 percent - which meant 100 vehicles more on the road. In that year about 4,000 drivers,

200 of the traffic supervisory staff and 2,000 maintenance workers joined the

scheme. The workshops too came under a similar scheme from 1st October 1969.

The measure of efficiency in this case was the number of vehicles lying idle in the

workshop waiting for repairs. This scheme too had proved effective, the percentage

of vehicles under repairs dropping.

3. Causalworker -

Now days BEST starting recruitment of Causal Worker. Causal workers are not

permanent worker. When they work for 8 hours they get wages. Now wages are

increasing from Rs.100/- to Rs. 140/-. Causal worker must have the RTO Batch

number of Heavy Vehicle.


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The causal worker does not get any facilities such as PF, Gratuity and many more

facilities which get to permanent worker. They get the facilities of free travel in byBEST bus anywhere in Mumbai.

Result:

After the completed the project on TQM in BEST Buses, we have come in to the

conclusion that BEST management is not only vast but also complicated

management.

Still it managed very well than any big organization.

When we emphasis on total quality management in the best services we can

certainly improve the quality of life of the people and also the service provided by

best. When the buses will be maintained properly the comfort level of the peoplewill also increase and also buses will be more preferred by the people. With the

ever increasing population and traffic the best is still providing decent services and

by keeping in mind TQM the quality of service and life of the people can be

increased.


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BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1.www.best.org2.www.wikipedia.org.3. http://www.google.co.in/

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