A PROJECT REPORT ON

BRIHANMUMBAI ELECTRIC SUPPLY & TRANSPORT (BEST)

BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

SEMESTER V
(2016-2017)

SUBMITTED BY
(AVINASH SHARMA)
T.Y.B.M.S, ROLL NO.5045

NAGINDAS KHANDWALA COLLEGE OF COMMERCE, ART &

MANAGEMENT STUDIES
MALAD (WEST)

A PROJECT REPORT ON
BRIHANMUMBAI ELECTRIC SUPPLY & TRANSPORT (BEST)

BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

SEMESTER V
(2016-2017)

SUBMITTED
IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
AWARD OF DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
BY
(AVINASH SHARMA)
(ROLL NO.5045)

NAGINDAS KHANDWALA COLLEGE OF COMMERCE, ART &

MANAGEMENT STUDIES
MALAD (WEST)

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
To list who all have helped me is difficult because they are so numerous and
the depth is so enormous.
I would like to acknowledge the following as being idealistic channels and
fresh dimensions in the completion of this project.
I take this opportunity to thank the University of Mumbai for giving me chance
to do this project.
I would like to thank my principal, Dr. Ancy Jose Maam for providing the
necessary facilities required for completion of this project.
I take this opportunity to thank our coordinator Hanumant Rao Sir for her
moral support and guidance.
I would also like to express my sincere gratitude towards my project guide
Dr. Mona Bhatia Maam whose guidance and care made the project
successful.
I would like to thank my College Library, for having provided various
reference books and magazines related to my project.
Lastly, I would like to thank each and every person who directly or indirectly
helped me in the completion of the project especially my Parents and peers
who supported me throughout my project.

Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. 1
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................... 2
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................... 3
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY ................................................................................................... 3
SAMPLE SIZE ........................................................................................................................... 3
METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION........................................................................................ 3
SCOPE OF THE STUDY .......................................................................................................... 3
HYPOTHESIS ............................................................................................................................ 3
LIMITATION ............................................................................................................................. 3
HISTORY ...................................................................................................................................................... 4
1. BOMBAY TRAMWAY COMPANY LIMITED ................................................................... 4
2. FORMATION OF THE BOMBAY ELECTRIC SUPPLY & TRAMWAYS COMPANY
LIMITED .................................................................................................................................... 5
ELECTRIC TRAM ...................................................................................................... 6
INTRODUCTION OF MOTOR BUS ........................................................................ 7
3. FORMATION OF BEST UNDERTAKING .......................................................................... 8
PRESENT SCENARIO OF B.E.S.T UNDERTAKING ............................................................................... 10
MAIN PEOPLE INVOLVE .......................................................................................................................... 11
CHAIRMAN BEST................................................................................................................. 11
GENERAL MANAGER .......................................................................................................... 11
ADDITIONAL GENERAL MANAGER ................................................................................. 12
DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER .......................................................................................... 12
ASST. GENERAL MANAGER - TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING............................. 13
MEMBERS OF BEST ............................................................................................................. 14
FACILITIES PROVIDED BY B.E.S.T UNDERTAKING ............................................................................. 15

PEST ANALYSIS -BEST UNDERTAKING ................................................................................................ 17

POLITICAL ............................................................................................................................. 17
ECONOMIC ........................................................................................................................... 18
SOCIAL................................................................................................................................... 19
TECHNOLOGICAL ................................................................................................................ 20
RECENT PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITY BY B.E.S.T UNDERTAKING ...................................................... 21
OTHER INITIATIVES BY BEST UNDERTAKING .....................................................................................23
COMPETITORS OF B.E.S.T UNDERTAKING ........................................................................................ 24
CAB SERVICE PROVIDERS .................................................................................................. 24
AUTO RICKSHAW ................................................................................................................ 24
PRIVATE BUSES.................................................................................................................... 24
COST & REVENUE OF B.E.S.T UNDERTAKING ...................................................................................25
PROBLEM FACED BY B.E.S.T UNDERTAKING .....................................................................................26
SUGGESTIONS TO B.E.S.T UNDERTAKING .........................................................................................30
TRENDS IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT ......................................................................................................... 34
CASE STUDY .............................................................................................................................................38
SURVEY ON: CONSUMER BEHAVIOR TOWARDS PERFORMANCE OF B.E.S.T BUSES .............. 40
CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................................... 54
RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................................55
BIBLIOGRAPHY .........................................................................................................................................56
ANNEXURE................................................................................................................................................ 57

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The idea of a mass public transport system for Mumbai was first put forward
in 1865 by an American company, which applied for a licence to operate a
horse-drawn tramway system. Although a licence was granted, the project
was never realized, owing to the prevailing economic depression in the city.
The end of the American Civil War, during which Bombay had made vast
strides in its economy by supplying cotton and textiles to the world market,
was the reason for the economic downturn.
On 27 November 1871, a notice in the Times of India newspaper by the
Bombay Omnibus Service proposed a bus service between Malabar
Hill and Fort. However, the proposed monthly pass fare of 30 pounds proved
to be too expensive, and the tender was promptly abandoned.
The main purpose of doing this project BEST was basically get an insight
about the Transportation industry and also the changing trends in
transportation industry.

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INTRODUCTION
MUMBAI, THE NEVER SLEEPING CITY OF INDIA
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, animals and goods
from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water,
cable, pipeline and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure,
vehicles and operations.
A Diversity of Modes Transport modes are the means by which people and
freight achieve mobility. They fall into one of three basic types, depending on
over what surface they travel land (road, rail and pipelines), water
(shipping), and air.
The various modes used for a movement. For each mode, there are
several means of transport.
They are:
A. INLAND TRANSPORTATION (rail, road)
B. SEA TRANSPORT (coastal and ocean)
C. AIR TRANSPORTATION
D. PIPELINES
We are basically going to focus on INLAND TRANSPORTATION,
i.e. ROADWAYS & mainly focusing on (BEST Undertaking).
The transport wing of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport
Undertaking (BEST Undertaking) operates a large number of bus services in
the Mumbai metropolitan area. These buses are called BEST or BEST bus.
BEST bus serves the entire Mumbai City. It has operations outside city limits
into neighboring Navi Mumbai, Thane and Mira-Bhayandar.
In addition to buses, it operates a ferry service in the northern reaches of the
city.
The present BEST undertaking was started as an electric supply company
which then branched out to provide bus and tram services. In 1964, electric
trams were terminated due to high operational costs and poor public support.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The main objective of this project is to know why BEST Bus
department is going into losses.
To know what changes are required for BEST Bus department for
growing and making of profits.
To understand the perception of commuters in B.E.S.T Buses in
Mumbai.
SAMPLE SIZE
Sample Size The sample size of respondents is 100 people.
METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION
I have used primary and secondary data in this study.
Primary Data to collect commuters response (a questionnaire was
prepared and circulated among random sample of people).
Secondary Data to study about of Mumbai BEST Buses (Secondary
data form Internet and mainly its Website).
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This research study helps to ascertain the Strength & Weakness of the
BEST Undertaking.
This study will help to know the improvements which can be made to
improve the present scenario of the B.E.S.T Undertaking.
HYPOTHESIS
A supposition or explanation (theory) that is provisionally accepted in order
to interpret certain events, and to provide guidance for further investigation.
A hypothesis must be proven right or wrong, and must be capable of
refutation. If it remains unrefuted by facts, it is said to be verified.
Null Hypothesis
H0 There is no significant difference in the satisfaction level of the
customers travelling by BEST.
Alternative Hypothesis
H1 - There has been significant difference in the satisfaction level of the
customers travelling by BEST.
LIMITATION
Limitation in Time & Cost (It is only because of Time constraints sample
size is taken as 100).
Lack of experience of the researcher.
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HISTORY
1.BOMBAY TRAMWAY COMPANY LIMITED
In 1873, the Bombay Tramway Company Limited was given the licence to
operate trams in the city. The Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) was
given the right to purchase the company after first twenty years or after every
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. On 9 May 1874, the company
started with horse-drawn tram of two kinds on road those drawn by one
horse and those drawn by two.
Service was introduced on two routes: Colaba to Pydhoni via Crawford
Market and Bori Bunder to Pydhoni, via Kalbadevi with a fleet of 20 cars and
200 horses.
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 heavy
expenditure the company will occur, the municipality should waive its right of
taking it over in 1901. 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. 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. When it closed down in 1905, it had as many as 1,360 horses.

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2.FORMATION OF THE BOMBAY ELECTRIC SUPPLY & TRAMWAYS

COMPANY LIMITED
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. Company Limited had been established in
England under the Companies Act.
Its registered office was in London and its Board of Management met there.
As a result, the company had to pay income-tax to the British Exchequer on
the profits it earned in India. As it was registered in Mumbai, it had to pay a
similar tax in India. To avoid double taxation, the Board of Directors closed
the company in London. Establishing a new company in Bombay, the
companys capital in pound sterling was converted to corresponding value in
rupees.

Mumbai first electric tram car began operations in 1907

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 ELECTRIC TRAM
B.E.S. & T Co. Ltd. placed an 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 the Municipality. The inaugural service ran between Municipal
Office building and Crawford Market. Regular services started from next day.
Unlike the horse-drawn tram, the 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 the office-goers. The company
asked for permission to run a triple car and allow standees; the first was
reject and later discontinued in 1914. To handle rush-hour traffic doubledecker trams were introduced on Mumbais roads in September 1920.

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

hour traffic

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INTRODUCTION OF MOTOR BUS

The citys first bus started operations in 1926

In 1913 there was debate in the Mumbai municipality whether to

introduce trolley buses or motor buses to supplement the tramway service in
the city. The main factor against its introduction was the high accident rate
for a similar service in London. On 10 February 1926, the B.E.S.& T.
Company (Bombay Electric Supply & Tramways Company Limited)
introduced three routes on experimental basis. On 15 July 1926, 24 singledeck buses started operating on three routes Afghan Church to the
Crawford Market, Dadar Tram Terminus to Kings Circle, via Parsi Colony,
and Opera House to Lalbag via Lamington Road and Arthur Road. Despite
stiff opposition and protests by taxi-drivers, the service ran without a hitch,
transporting six lakhs (600,000) passengers by the end of that year. The
following year the number had increased to 3.8 million. The trams
meanwhile, because of their lower fares, were relegated to being a poor
man's transport. By 1927 B.E.S.T. Company had a fleet of 49 buses.
In March 1930 concessional rates were introduced on short journeys, which
attracted more passengers. Car owners quickly embraced the cheap public
transport. In response to the pleas made by the government and the Bombay
Municipal Corporation, the company extended its services to the northern
part of the city in 1934. In 1937 double-decker buses were introduced to cope
better with the growing traffic. The single-deck vehicle carried 36
passengers; the double-decker could take as many as 58. The first limited
bus service in Mumbai, and probably the first in the country as well, started
running in 1940 between Colaba and Mahim.
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3.FORMATION OF BEST UNDERTAKING

One of the terms of the agreement of 7 August 1905 between the Bombay
Municipal Corporation and the Bombay Electric Supply & Tramways
Company Limited (B.E.S.&T. Company) gave the Bombay Municipality the
right to buy the company at the end of forty-two years. It was also laid down
that if the right was exercised on 7 August 1947, the municipality would have
to pay forty lakh rupees as goodwill, in addition to the agreed price of the
companys assets. The right to buy the B.E.S.T. Company did not cover its
bus service, which had been granted a permit by the commissioner of police
under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act. However, the act did not stop
the Bombay Municipal Corporation from starting its own bus service.
The municipality discussed the matter with government at Pune. The
government had been contemplating taking over all the road transport in the
state. The Mumbai bus transport was not an exception unless it was acquired
by the Municipal Corporation. On 21 October 1946, the Municipal
Corporation decided to buy the Bombay Electric Supply & Tramways
Company with its bus transport section.
On 18 April 1947, the general manager of the B.E.S.T. Company offered to
sell the B.E.S.T. Company along with its bus transport section to the
Corporation but required an amount equal to twenty per cent of the value of
the bus transport section be paid to the Company as goodwill. But this
demand was rejected in view of the Governments policy of nationalizing
transport. However, the payment of goodwill was accepted in principle. The
Corporation acquired the B.E.S.T. Company total assets for 6,35,00,000.
On 7 August 1947, the Municipal Corporation took over the B.E.S.&T.
Company Ltd and it was municipalized to form the Bombay Electric Supply
and Transport Undertaking which was again renamed to Brihanmumbai
Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (B.E.S.&T Undertaking) in 1995.
BEST celebrates 7 August annually as "BEST Day".
Post-independence, BEST increased its fleet from 242 to 582 buses over the
next decade. In 1949, it took over the Bandra Bus Company, which used to
ply buses in the Western suburbs. The company launched its services in the
eastern suburbs in January 1955. The eastern suburbs were serviced by
private bus operators. That year, the Undertaking and private operators went
to court, with the BEST asking for a complete closure of the

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private companies. The case dragged on for four years before the Supreme
Court of India granted the organization a complete monopoly over bus
services in the Greater Bombay area.
In 1955, bus services extended to Eastern Suburbs and Luxury Coach
services introduced.

The tramway system had been running at a loss when the Undertaking took
it over. The losses kept on mounting year after year. In 1953, it started

closing down the uneconomic routes due to high operational costs and poor
public support. In 1964 BEST's long-running tram services terminated.

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PRESENT SCENARIO OF B.E.S.T UNDERTAKING

FOUNDED

1905 as BEST Co. LTD Brihanmumbai Electric

Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST)
1947 as BEST Undertaking 1947 as BEST
Undertaking Bombay Electric Supply and Transport
Undertaking (BEST)

HEADQUARTERS

Electric House, Colaba, Mumbai

LOCALE

Mumbai Metropolitan Region

SERVICE AREA

Mumbai City, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Mira-Bhayandar

SERVICE TYPE

Local, Limited, Special, Express, Air-conditioned bus

services, BRTS, Ferry Boat

ROUTES

Ordinary Bus, Limited Bus, Express Bus, A.C. Bus,

BRTS, Ferry Service

DEPOTS

27

PERSON

DR Jagdish Patil (GENERAL MANAGER)

WEBSITE

www.bestundertaking.com

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MAIN PEOPLE INVOLVE

CHAIRMAN BEST

Shri Mohan Ramchandra Mithbaokar

Chairman, BEST Committee
GENERAL MANAGER

Dr. Jagdish D. Patil

(I.A.S) General Manager
B.E.S.& T. UNDERTAKING
Email - gm@bestundertaking.com
Tel - +91 - 22 - 22873961/ 22856262
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ADDITIONAL GENERAL MANAGER

Shri. Sanjay Bhagwat

Additional General Manager
Email - addlgm@bestundertaking.com
Tel - +91 22 22855576 / 9422993333
DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER

Shri R. R. Deshpande
Deputy General Manager (Traffic Operations)
Tel - +91 22 22856262
E-mail dgmto@bestundertaking.com

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ASST. GENERAL MANAGER - TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING

Shri S. A. Pawar
Asst. General Manager (Transportation Engineering)
B.E.S.& T. Undertaking
Email ID - sapawar@bestundertaking.org

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MEMBERS OF BEST

Shri Yashodhar Padmakar Phanse

Chairman, Standing Committee

Shri Ganesh Yashwant Sanap

Member

Shri Ranjan Vinayak Chaudhari

Member

Shri Shivji Prabhunarayan Singh

Member

Shri Ashok Dhartrak

Member

Shri Arvind Devji Dudhvadkar

Member

Shri Suhas Vishwanath Samant

Member

Shri Shrikant Krishna Kavthankar

Member

Shri Sunil Gulabrao Ganacharya

Member

Shri Krishna (Mahesh) Parkar

Member

Shri Mohammed Ghouse Shaikh

Member

Shri Kedar Hombalkar

Member

Shri Ravi Kondu Raja

Member

Adv. Sandesh Dhondu Kondvilkar

Member

Shri Dilip Kadam

Member

Shri Yakub Memon

Member

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FACILITIES PROVIDED BY B.E.S.T UNDERTAKING

As BEST undertaking has two different departments
Transport department
Electric supply department
We are basically going to focus on Transport department
Services provided by Transport department
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.
Free Travel Facility: Presently, the BEST provides free travel facility to the
freedom fighters. Municipal Councilors and Non-Councilor Members of the
BEST Committee are also permitted to travel free on BEST buses. Members
of Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, 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 Air-Conditioned bus
services
Concessional Fare: Children below 12 years of age are charged
concessional fare. Students studying up to Higher Secondary and up to the
age of 22 years are issued concessional fare bus passes. Persons who are
60 % and above, permanently Orthopedically handicapped are charged
concessional fare for attending medical institutions and rehabilitation
courses. Blind persons are charged a flat fare of Re.1/- per journey.
Concessional fare facility is not available on Air-Conditioned Services.
Reservation of Seats: The BEST has reserved 3 seats for handicapped
person in SD / DD buses, and 2 seats each in Air Conditioned and Midi
buses. 4 seats in SD buses, 2 seats in Air Conditioned, and 3 seats each in
Midi and DD buses for Senior Citizens. 12 seats in SD buses, 10 seats in DD
buses, 6 seats each in Air Conditioned, and Midi Buses for lady passengers,
this includes 1 seat for lady travelling with an infant.
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.
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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.
Disaster Management: In the event of disruption of rail services the BEST
operates additional buses in the areas of disruption. Timely actions are
taken with the help of our field officials.
Best Bus ETA:
Review by a Commuter
It always good to see when your city progresses and make things
convenient for you. Today, Indias BEST intra-city bus organization made me
feel proud. Yes, BEST- Bombay Electric Suburban Transport, the pioneer
bus service of India has gone high-tech. Right from the smart card service,
electronic tickets to A/C service (although it annoys at times). Like every
other day, I was waiting at the mithchowki bus stop to board my bus to office.
It started drizzling so I quickly took shelter under the bus stop. To my sight
came a one small sticker saying, ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival). To know
the ETA of a bus on this stop send an SMS to 46060 as
BEST BUS_STOP_CODE. BUS_STOP_CODE is a 5-digit code written in
red color on the bus stop. Out of curiosity I tried it, was wondering how would
it know that which bus I am interested in. To my surprise within a minute or
two I received an SMS stating AC707 ETA 10.27.
I was moved for a minute by the surprise. Surprise that it works. I believe it
currently provides update for only AC buses. But something is better than
nothing. Years back I had written a similar post on my Marathi blog about
this and how BEST could use the GPS system to improve their quality and
commuter wait period. They have achieved it in slightly different way but its
really a good news to see this improvement. I don't think many people are
aware of this. So sharing this post. Please forward this valuable information
to everyone.
Lets make the optimum use of this. For me, I would now check my bus status
right when I step out from my home and I believe that would really help and
make a difference.
Thanks BEST you are the BEST!
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PEST ANALYSIS -BEST UNDERTAKING

POLITICAL
The political situation of any country strongly influences any industry that
wishes to flourish in the framework of the country. The Heavy Motor Vehicle
Industry is also affected strongly by the action and decisions taken by the
men with authority.
The government is instrumental in the passing of the various laws and acts,
which govern the working of the industry and has a very strong bearing on
the success of the industry. The clause of disallowing the use of old vehicles
would have led to an increased demand for the Heavy Motor Vehicles. For
e.g. it has been estimated that the recent Supreme Court verdict to pull off
any vehicle more than 15 years from the road is expected to increase the
demand by about 15000 units.
Buses for State Transport Undertakings: the buses used by the STUs
account for almost 90% of the bus sales. The budget of how many buses are
to be ordered is dependent on each state government. If the government is
hard pressed for funds the number of replacement units for buses ordered
will be low. This will have a great influence in the demand and the profitability
of companies in the manufacture of buses.

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ECONOMIC
It is a known paradox that the economic condition really affects the economic
condition. This is shown by the fact that all the industries in any economy are
interconnected and an increase or decrease in the activity of any one
industry has a direct or indirect bearing on the activity of the other industries.
Trade cycles: Trade cycles such as recession or prosperity have a direct
impact on road transport services. When there is recession or slowdown in
the economy and other industries such as travel and tourism, exportsimports, the level of economic activities are low as a result there is low
demand for transportation services such as passenger transport. This has a
direct impact on the operations and profitability of this industry. It is during
this time that the transporters need to effectively manage demand and supply
and market their services to retain their commuters.
Pricing: The fair prices for passenger transport is directly regulated by
government in case of public transport like BEST and indirectly in case of
private such as cargo or private bus contractors. In case of private
transporters, the government fixes the minimum and maximum limits for the
prices. So it has a direct impact on the price mix of road transport.
Fuel prices: Earlier government regulated and directly controlled the prices
of the fuel- diesel and petrol- and thereby had a direct impact on the fuel
prices which determined the cost. Thus the price offered by the road
transporters was directly influenced by the government pricing policy. Due to
this involvement private transporters were aloof from the fluctuations in
International fuel prices as the prices were highly subsidized before
supplying to the pumps. For e.g. recently there was a hike in the prices of
fuels and accordingly the fares of BEST were increased by Re.1 on all the
routes.

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SOCIAL
Strikes/war/communal riots: These incidents directly affect the service
delivery process. This may result in low demand, loss of property and many
cases injury to the people commuters and employees.
Festivals: In case of festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi, Diwali etc. the
demand for road transport goes down and there can be damage to the
vehicle.
Holidays/vacations: This is another time of the year when the road
transporter can face low or high demand depending on the sector he is
catering to.
Even, some companies have purchase buses for picking up the employees
and dropping them back home e.g. Larsen and Toubro Fiat, UTI etc.
A/C luxury buses: 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 affect the mobility of vehicles, BEST has introduced
51 air conditioned buses. These buses have:
Luxury seats with soft fabric, carpeted flooring jack-knife doors at entrance
and exit, wide corridor for easy movement, etc.
Low floor buses: BEST has received demands from various sections of the
society who are working for the welfare of the physically handicapped,
regarding need for introducing low floor buses in the city. In response to
these demands and suggestions, BEST has launched the trial run of low floor
buses provided by TELCO and Ashok Leyland. This trial is for 6 months.

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TECHNOLOGICAL
Age of the vehicle: P.U.C. under the RTO regulations all vehicles over 15
years of age are to stop running on road, taking into consideration the
environmental and pollution factors. The emission of gases from these
vehicles is hazardous to the environment.
However, it has been noticed that the emission factors not only depend on
the age but also the distance traveled by the buses and the maintenance of
such vehicles over their life. This aspect is completely ignored by the RTO
authorities.
IT: Just as integration of IT in all business activities, transportation sector
has not been an exception to it. More and more logistical softwares are being
used for jobs like keeping track of the vehicles on the move, organizing
database of the commuters, maintaining relations with the commuters etc.
CNG Natural Gas Bus
Articulated Single Deck Bus (Vestibule Bus)
Automated Fare Collection System
System Concept

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RECENT PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITY BY B.E.S.T

UNDERTAKING
BEST wants Mumbaikars to click selfies and win free bus passes
This initiative was taken by general manager of BEST undertaking Dr. Jadish
Patil, Announcement made by him in front of media.
Local Press Co 5-point Snippet

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1. The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transports (BEST) transport

division has come up with another novel idea to promote its services in a bid
to recover its heavy losses. The organization, on Wednesday, announced a
contest called Selfie with Bus, wherein the citys public road transit service
wants citizens to click a selfie in order to win free bus passes.
2. According to the rules of the contest, participants have to click a selfie with
one of the undertakings buses and share it with the BEST management. The
ones that win the competition will be posted on the BESTs Facebook page.
3. BEST general manager Dr. Jadish Patil, while speaking to the media said,
We want youths to participate in the competition. The interested youngsters
can send their selfies at probestundertaking@gmail.com before June 10,
2016. The competition has been organized to impress upon the people the
importance of the BEST buses. Also, more and more people need to utilize
the service. This will benefit the city as pollution levels will diminish and there
will be less traffic congestion on the road.
4. The civic transport and electricity provider will award a bus pass worth Rs
10,080 to the one who wins the first prize. Those adjudged in second and
third positions will receive a quarterly bus pass of Rs 5,040 and a monthly
bus pass worth Rs 1,700 respectively.
5. Additionally, the management has also announced that it is wants a new
tag line for the undertaking and is inviting entries from citizens. Participants
will have to mail their tag lines to the management at
probestundertaking@gmail.com. The one whose tag line gets shortlisted
can avail quarterly bus pass worth Rs 14,400, which will be valid for all AC,
non-AC and limited buses or the winner can settle for an all-city six monthly
pass of Rs 10,080 instead.

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OTHER INITIATIVES BY BEST UNDERTAKING

Transport in the city of Mumbai is handled by the two railways (Central &
Western) and the B. E. S. T. Undertaking. The Undertaking carries more
passengers than the two railways put together and yet, it must be admitted;
there is considerable scope for improvement in its bus service. The B. E. S.
T. Undertaking has always thought towards providing other modes to
improve cities transport conditions.
Aerial Ropeway - The scheme was thought of in 1953 connecting chowpaty
and Malabar hill but was not materialized.
Underground Railway - This was first thought in 1924 and the proposal was
submitted to state government for approval. In 1956 the scheme came up,
once again, with much impetus this time. Geological surveys were done for
the selected route by a Japanese firm but the state government once again
disapproved the proposal. The next time the scheme moved was
in 1962. However, for want of huge capital investment it could not be
implemented.
Overhead Railway (monorail) having examined the underground mass
rapid transit system, BEST also gave thought to overhead rapid transit which
principally comprises of electric rolling stock with pneumatic tires running on
a single wide flanged concrete rail instead of the two conventional narrow
steel rails and supported on elevated pylons.
Water Bus - The idea rolled out in 1958. In 1959, the Corporation submitted
the proposal to BEST for consideration. The Government too was interested.
In March 1969 the Director of Transport suggested that a water bus service
be run on two routes. BEST however pleaded its inability to work such a
scheme for lack of funds. In 1969 a committee was appointed in the
undertaking to examine the feasibility.

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COMPETITORS OF B.E.S.T UNDERTAKING

CAB SERVICE PROVIDERS
Cab service providers like OLA, UBER, TABCAB, MERU CAB etc. are
the new competitors for B.E.S.T Undertaking.
Their business model is totally different form B.E.S.T & They charge
less price and give BEST services to their services.
People prefer these cabs as new trends, to maintain their standard in
the society
These cabs are BEST for professional, businessman and for airport
drop etc.
AUTO RICKSHAW
Mumbai auto rickshaws are the biggest competitors for the B.E.S.T,
its because people want to be at their place on time and clean and
safe as well.
Auto rickshaws provides sharing auto to the commuters so that people
can afford it.
This is the biggest problem for the B.E.S.T Buses.
PRIVATE BUSES
There are many private bus services providers Who are the
competitors of B.E.S.T Undertaking.
These services are mainly used by call centers employees, office staff,
schools etc.
These are the main competitors of B.E.S.T buses.

24 | P a g e

COST & REVENUE OF B.E.S.T UNDERTAKING

The loss constantly rose from 2002 to 2008 after which it saw a decrease
followed by a sudden increase which was the highest of the decade (>500
crores) which then started decreasing. 2008-2011 was the period when
BEST added more than 1200 buses in its fleet. The graph of staff costs v/s
costs towards fuel and lubricants seems distorted somewhat. The
fuel/lubricants costs do not have much annual variation whereas staff costs
have ups and downs. But overall, staff costs are on higher side than
expenses towards fuel and lubricants.
The pie chart below shows division of various expense heads on annual
average incurred by BEST undertaking towards managing bus operations.
More than 50% of the expenses are towards staff costs whereas fuel and
lubricants account for only 1/5th of the total expenses. The graph of total
income-expenditure against buses operated shows that while there hasnt
been much increase in the number of buses operated annually, the costs
and income have been increasing. The graph of average vehicle efficiency
shows a drastic reduction in the vehicles fuel efficiency.

25 | P a g e

PROBLEM FACED BY B.E.S.T UNDERTAKING

It might be the worst of times for Mumbais BEST, but there is still hope
Among the possible solutions are dedicated lanes for the public transport
service vehicles and better pricing.
Forty lakh passengers travelled daily by the bus service provided by the
Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport a year ago. In February, the
figure dropped to 32 lakhs, and after a fare hike in April, to a dismal 30 lakhs.
With everything looking grim for the BEST, is there hope for a revival?
BEST has the monopoly of operating staged bus transport in Greater
Mumbai. While integrating transport services with the Mumbai Metropolitan
Region, it began to provide services to regions beyond the MCGM areas just
as the transport divisions of other municipal corporations in the metropolitan
region were permitted to reach out to areas beyond their respective
municipal limits.
The only condition is that these services emanate in their respective
municipal limits, and that the BEST, or say Navi Mumbai Municipal
Transport, will not operate exclusive services in the areas of other municipal
corporations to prevent unhealthy competition even among the para
government agency operators.
Privatization would mean a move towards less service oriented and more
profit oriented. Public transport is a utility of necessity and convenience. One
does not have to go too far to witness the fare structure controversy of
Mumbai Metro One, a public utility service implemented under the public
private partnership model. The fare structure fails to provide affordable
services to common citizen.
Worst of times?
It is said that suburban railway services are the lifeline of Mumbai essentially
because it carries nearly 75 lakh persons a day who take the train for short
and long trips. On the other hand, the BEST has been more of a feeder
service to the railways. It goes without saying that it is no less a lifeline of the
city than the railways. It is also the pride of Mumbai for its generally wellmaintained fleet of clean buses.
Road congestion has made bus trips crowded and arduous as well as timeconsuming, and it has lost many users to shared auto rickshaws and shared
taxis which, unfortunately, have the states sanction. Many private taxis and
26 | P a g e

drivers of private cars pick up passengers waiting at bus stops, thus denying
the BEST their legitimate passengers.
The BEST has a fleet of about 4,700 buses of which about 3,800 non airconditioned buses and 400 AC buses have been in service in 2011. It has
now dropped to about 4,200. With the objective of cutting losses, BEST
operates only about 3,600 buses daily. With uncertainty and unaffordable
fares, many have resorted to walking to railway stations and short distances
for which they would otherwise have taken the bus. Many who used
exclusively the buses for relatively longer distances have moved to the
railways despite the overcrowded, uncomfortable and unsafe train
experience to save money and time.
Power woes
The policy followed by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and
the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission has been to avoid crosssubsidy of other services by earnings from the electricity sector. The BEST
is a unique case where losses from the transport sector are still being crosssubsidized by profits in electricity sector.

Although the BEST has shown a net profit of Rs. 400 crores, it has to recover
Rs 2,400 crores accumulated losses over the past 10 years. With a drop in
passengers, BEST may opt to sell off the transport division. Is this being
27 | P a g e

done with some sinister intentions of authorities and proponents of full

privatization of public transport? Whatever the case, it is important to
understand that Mumbais need is for mobility, and operating an effective
and efficient road public transport is crucial.
The Railways, which carries 75 lakh commuters daily, has a peak period load
of 3,60,000 persons per hour while its carrying capacity is just about half at
1,80,000 if the travel is to have some semblance of safety and comfort. The
fact of nearly 3,600 annual fatalities on the railway system can be attributed
primarily to gross overcrowding.
To accommodate the additional capacity of 1,80,000 people per hour,
additional public transport facilities are required. The Metro Rail will provide,
as per plan, only 72,000 people per hour when all its phases are completed.
Let it not be forgotten that the remaining 150 KMS of Metro Rail will cost a
whopping Rs 2,00,000 crore in a realistic estimate.
There is another aspect to keep in mind, and it carries hope. Bogota, the
South American city has a Bus Rapid Transit System that carries 45,000
persons per hour per direction. Buses of 175-person capacity operate at a
frequency of about 12 seconds and have achieved an average speed of 40kmph. For Mumbai to achieve its 1,80,000 people per hour per direction
requirement of capacity, it needs four bus public transport system routes with
a capacity of 45,000 or five such routes of, say 36,000, or even six routes of
30,000 people per hour per direction. This can be achieved with some
detailed planning and design.
However, with the current situation of the BEST Transport Division going into
losses touching Rs 700 crores in the last financial year and likely to touch Rs
1,000 crores in the current, some innovative thinking is required to overcome
its plight. The BEST is contemplating operating buses in dedicated lanes,
which is not the same as the well-designed robust Bus Rapid Transport
System on select roads and routes. It is not certain how they can achieve
effectiveness without the help of the traffic police.

Here is a possible solution. If one considers that the average travel expense
on BEST is more than Rs. 25 per day today, BEST could decide to issue
commuter smart cards valid for whatever number of days up to one year with
Rs. 25 per day as a flat charge. If 30 lakh commuters buy this card, BEST
28 | P a g e

will earn a whopping Rs. 2700 crores. What is the benefit commuters should
be provided? They can travel at free will on any buses, AC or non-AC, as
long as the card is valid.
These buses will not have conductors. The conductors will be deployed to
ensure that the dedicated lanes are not used by anyone other than BEST
buses. Dedicated lanes will not achieve the desired capacity, but they surely
will make people take buses once again.
During a recent auto rickshaw and taxi strike, the roads were less congested,
and the BEST carried 45 lakh passengers with full deployment of their fleet.
If a well-managed dedicated lanes scheme works well, one can expect BEST
to carry even 50 lakh passengers, bringing in earnings of more than Rs.
4,000 crores.
Accidents
accidents of buses have been more than 800, BEST management has been
able to control the fatal accidents which have not gone beyond 5% of the
total accidents as an annual average (the maximum fatal accidents recorded
were in the period 2004-05 accounting to 7% of the total accidents). There
is an accident at every 23rd bus operated. While the accidents were higher
in 2006-07, yet fatality was at a lower rate.

Other means of conveyance kept increasing. For instance, in 1951, the

number of vehicles was 45,000. In 1961 it was 85,000, and in 1971 it reached
1, 80,000. Today there are over 8 lakh vehicles on Mumbai roads.

29 | P a g e

SUGGESTIONS TO B.E.S.T UNDERTAKING

MAKE PEOPLE FEEL GOOD
The TV which is used nowadays in BEST buses, I think, rather than giving
serial advertisement or Cartoon, something helpful or knowledgeable should
be shown. People now a days are so much frustrated with the crowd & the
traffic and more over this advertisement and that to the same keeps on
repeating again & again which irritates a lot.

TRAINING OF CONDUCTORS 7 DRIVERS

BEST bus conductors and drivers are very rude and abusive towards senior
citizens- women especially. They should be properly guided about how to
treat commuters, rules while traveling, everything should be known to them,
so they talk in a proper way.

30 | P a g e

TIME MANAGEMENT
BEST buses make people to wait a lot, so there something should be done
to make this proper, buses depart late from the depot, chit chat between
drivers & Conductor, people have to pay for that being late on office, hospital
etc.

PROPER DEPARTURE/ARRIVAL OF BUSES

When a particular bus arrives at bus stop, same number bus is just its
behind, there is no gap in between those buses. There something should be
done to make proper arrangement for arrival/departure of buses. increasing
number of buses, which has more commuters.

31 | P a g e

MAINTENANCE OF BUSES
Proper maintenance of buses and focus should be more on its cleanliness.
Buses are so dirty these days, thats why people prefer auto to go offices
and school, because they dont want to land up dirty in their
schools/colleges/offices.

STOP BUSES BY WAVING HAND

There was an initiative taken by B.E.S.T Undertaking, that you can stop bus
anywhere just by waving your hand, so that you dont miss your bus. that
initiative was not in process, that was very good initiative so that B.E.S.T can
increase their commuters/income. they should start that initiative.

32 | P a g e

COLLECTION OF CHANGE FROM ANY BUS DEPOT

People have to go to Wadala bus depot to collect their change, they should
something so that they can avail that money on their next visit, because
hardly people go to Wadala to just take that change, there is one good thing
they have done. Now you can collect you change from any bus depot.

33 | P a g e

TRENDS IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Demographic trends and mobility in urban areas
Combined with rapid economic growth and the emergence of a large middle
class in emerging countries, these trends are shifting the worlds centre of
gravity to the South-East. Globally, some 1,000 cities of more than 500,000
inhabitants are already facing major mobility problems, due to the near
impossibility of providing adequate infrastructure to keep pace with the everincreasing popularity of the private car. In this context, public transport has
an important role to play. It can meet the growing mobility demand by
providing the systems on which a city can build its sustainable development.
Moreover, other less conventional modes such as cable cars, tram-trains
and monorails are gaining momentum. In the meantime, in Western
countries, car use seems to have reached a ceiling. Young people are
apparently now more interested in all the latest mobility solutions than in car
ownership.

Governing and providing mobility in connected cities

There seems to be a strong correlation, which we can partly explain, between
the increasing connectivity within our society of people, vehicles, and soon
of pretty much all our surrounding environment and the demand for and
provision of new mobility services. Connectivity creates a growing volume of
available data for the transport sectors stakeholders. For most of them, this
high volume of data or big data is a potential source of efficiency gains. Data
like this does not only come from the transport sector, our vehicles or
commuters. It can also be produced by other sectors. As a result, once
combined with our sectors data, it can open opportunities for all, such as
efficient operations and maintenance, new services, integration, and a better
understanding of travelers. Manufacturers expect this trend to bring them
closer to their commuters. Operators would like to gather faster and more
individualized information on their commuters in order to improve operations,
as well as to maximize the profitability of commercial spaces in stations for
instance. Big data is also an opportunity for external stakeholders to develop
new services for our sector and to enhance the digital experience of our
commuters. Increasing connectivity is also enabling the fast development of
34 | P a g e

new mobility services, such as transaction platforms for ridesharing,

alongside the rapid increase of services that have emerged in the last
decade, such as car-sharing

Funding public transport: the search for alternatives

To cover investments and operational deficit, public transport companies can
no longer limit themselves to their two traditional financing sources: ticket
selling and the public contribution. Over the last decade, changes in public
transport funding have been mostly influenced by three key trends: 1. Fares,
supported by innovative technology, have varied in their complexity across
cities. In parallel, networks have also paved the way to enable the
development of commercial revenue within their systems;
2. Investment in infrastructure is one of the main challenges for many
regions. Networks have begun to include the business community, linking
commercial property development and transport or requesting the private
sector to take the lead through PPPs;
3. Contribution of direct and indirect beneficiaries, such as land value
capture, is increasingly being incorporated in public transport financing
models.

Market overview: Globalization and emerging players

Globalization of the economy has affected the business of public transport,
just as it has affected many other sectors. The removal of most trade barriers
has led to business expansion, increased competition and consolidation of
the market players through mergers and acquisitions. This has been the case
for both operating and manufacturing companies. As a result of power shifts
in the world economy and the rise of new powers (BRICS: Brazil, Russia,
India, China and South Africa), new opportunities for public transport have
arisen in previously inaccessible markets. Moreover, new competitors are
emerging, initially within countries, then regionally and increasingly on the
global stage. BRICS nations are sure to lead growth in public transport.
However, other world markets such as Africa and ASEAN are expected
to become more important as they shift towards more economical and
flexible urban transportation solutions. Due to a major imbalance in
production factors (especially low wages), Western manufacturers in this
sector are struggling to cope with challenges such as a significant
35 | P a g e

transformation of the supply chain and a shift in production to countries with

lower labour costs. Traditional Western plants tend to specialize in high
innovation and value elements of the supply chain. Operating companies
have seen the emergence of large groups that are active first on their
domestic markets and then internationally. This is a result of deregulation,
liberalization and the need for expertise and investments

Energy, climate change and air pollution

Energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the land transport
sector are expected to increase under a business as usual scenario by
nearly 50% by 2030 and more than 80% by 2050, compared with year-end
2009. This increase in emissions will be primarily caused by a surge in the
global stock of private vehicles. Already in 2009, transport contributed
approximately one-quarter of energy-related global GHG emissions and was
responsible for about one-fifth of energy use, according to the United Nations
(UN). It is expected that transport will remain heavily dependent on oil and
that technologies will not be able to prevent health hazards related to air
quality, which will become a major concern in many cities across the world.
These trends are clearly unsustainable and we must seize the solutions at
hand. Ambitious and visionary actions and strategies are essential to
radically change current mobility patterns and to avoid dangerous climate
change, as well as worsening air quality in cities across the globe. Cities and
governments have a crucial role to play in this, and public transport and other
sustainable urban mobility solutions need to be put forward to tackle the
urban mobility challenges currently faced by our cities. Support for our sector
and for a greater recognition of its role in mitigating emissions will need to be
backed by economic incentives, which could take the form of carbon pricing.

Becoming attractive and customer-oriented employers

Some 13 million jobs are linked to the provision of public transport services
and the public transport supply chain worldwide. Public transport actors are
BEST-in class providers of green jobs and inclusive growth, as almost every
job in this sector helps to preserve and restore environmental quality, usually
requires minimum qualifications and offers a decent salary when compared
with informal employment. On all continents, formalizing public transport and
36 | P a g e

the growth of public transport help to fight unemployment and boost the
economy. In emerging economies, providing skilled jobs for unqualified
people encourages social integration and helps stabilize living conditions,
which in turn can lead to the creation of a middle class. In developed
countries, public transport companies and authorities offer stable, green and
local jobs that cannot be offshored or moved out of the local area. These
jobs are therefore less affected than jobs in other sectors when there is an
economic downturn. In many European cities, the local public transport
operator is one of the largest employers. The challenge today is to attract,
recruit in large numbers and retain qualified staff as well as to make
employees proud of working in public transport. This multiple challenge calls
into question the attractiveness of the public transport sector as an employer,
its business culture and its HR managerial practices. The attractiveness of
the public transport sector depends on its own ability to attract employees,
as well as on the economic situation and job market conditions. However,
corporate culture and strategy and managerial practices, not to mention
human resources policies, all play an essential role here. These new trends
will certainly pave the way for new solutions for more attractive public
transport companies and better services.

37 | P a g e

CASE STUDY
Trapeze reduced the time spent by BEST employees in creating duty
schedules from nearly four weeks of work to a mere few days.

BACKGROUND
BEST Undertaking provides public transportation service throughout the city
of Mumbai and also offers some services in suburbs. It is owned by the
Municipal Corporation of Mumbai and was first established in 1873. BESTs
transport wing is considered one of the BEST in the world, carrying 5 million
passengers daily through 64,000 trips, operated on 500+ bus routes with
4200 buses. BEST is one of the largest public transportation companies in
India.
CHALLENGES
Before using Trapeze Austrics, BEST employees had to manually create
schedules once in every 4 months. It would take BEST schedulers four to
five weeks to put together duty schedules and present it to the drivers/
conductors. When vehicle operators had specific scheduling requests or
pointed out certain difficulties with the schedule, schedulers had to go back
to the drawing board and manually re-draw the schedule to include those
changes. This process of manually creating duty schedules was not only
tedious and time consuming; it was also inefficient and costly.

38 | P a g e

SOLUTION
In 2013, BEST started using Austrics, Trapezes planning and scheduling
system. Now, BEST schedulers can create many different duty scheduling
scenarios within 2-3 days instead of weeks, even when setting various
constraints and parameters. With its comprehensive and fully automated
functionality, Austrics also helps BEST eliminate the possibility of human
error that comes with manually adjusting huge amounts of data. Austrics
combines powerful algorithms with comprehensive parameter settings to
quickly generate various cost-effective operator assignment scenarios. The
system is configured with BESTs specific rules and requirements in mind.
Taking all these parameters into consideration, Austrics reviews hundreds of
thousands of possibilities to put together a duty schedule. It would be
impossible for schedulers to do this manually. Once BEST planners and
Trapeze experts started creating various duty scheduling scenarios for the
first 12 depots, it immediately became clear that it was possible to achieve
significant savings in terms of duties performed without affecting the current
number of staff.
RESULTS/CONCLUSION
Austrics reduced the time spent by BEST employees in creating duty
schedules from nearly four weeks of work to a mere few days. Austrics
enabled BEST to realize these efficiencies by shortening meal breaks,
efficiently utilizing relief points, mixing of routes, and offering an overall
tightening of all schedules while still adhering to all rules. Using Austrics will
allow the Undertaking to recoup costs without sacrificing efficiency.

39 | P a g e

SURVEY ON: CONSUMER BEHAVIOR TOWARDS

PERFORMANCE OF B.E.S.T BUSES

40 | P a g e

GRAPH
Total 100 Mumbai commuters selected for survey.

Gender
Female
30%

Male
70%
Male

Female

TABULATION

Gender

Male

Female

Total

No. of
Participants

70

30

100

Percentage

70%

30%

100%

41 | P a g e

GRAPH

Age Group

96
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

10 yr-15 yr 16 yr-25 yr 26 yr-35 yr

36 yr &
Above

TABULATION
Age Group

Respondents

10-15

16-25

96

26-35

36 & Above

Total

100

DESCRIPTION
96 percent of respondents are of age between 16 years to 25 years,
they are mostly, college and school going people.
They also prefer B.E.S.T buses travelling.

42 | P a g e

GRAPH

7%

Occupation

93%

Student

Working

TABULATION
Respondents Occupation

Total

Student

93

Working

Total

100

DESCRIPTION
Mostly students were interviewed because due to lack of contacts with
working class.
93 percent of the respondents were students.

43 | P a g e

QUESTION 1
GRAPH
What do you prefer most while travelling?

44%
56%

Bus

Auto

TABULATION
Particular

No of responds

Bus

56

Auto

44

Total

100

DESCRIPTION
Most people prefer buses while travelling, but then also B.E.S.T
Undertaking making losses, its because its management & worst
services.
People are using it just because there are no other affordable ways of
transport.
Mumbai rickshaw gives tough competition to B.E.S.T.
44 | P a g e

QUESTION 2
GRAPH
How late does your bus arrive?

51

60
50

46

40
30
20

10
0

5-10 Min

20-30 Min

40-50 Min

More than an
Hour

TABULATION

Particular
5-10 Min
20-30 Min
40-50 Min
More Than an Hour

Responses
51
46
1
2

Total

100

DESCRIPTION
B.E.S.T Buses makes people wait on an average 15 to 20 Minutes.
This shows they lack in time management, they should take corrective
action to solve this problem.
As mostly school going students are being interviewed and they have
to reach college/school on time, because they are the future of India.
45 | P a g e

QUESTION 3
GRAPH
Do you like the way Bus Drivers & Conductors treat you while travelling in
Bus?

44%
56%

Yes

No

TABULATION
PARTICULARS

TOTAL

YES

44

NO

56

TOTAL

100

DESCRIPTION
This graph shows that 56 percent of people dont like the way, drivers
& conductors treat them.
So B.E.S.T should do need full to solve this problem.
Training should be provided to them, so that people would like to travel
through b.e.s.t buses.
This is also a big reason for loss of B.E.S.T.
46 | P a g e

QUESTION 4
GRAPH
Do you feel safe while travelling in BEST Buses?

No
37%

Yes
63%

Yes

No

TABULATION
PARTICULARS

TOTAL

YES

63

NO

37

TOTAL

100

DESCRIPTION
37 percent People still feel unsafe while travelling, they should do
something to solve this problem.
Theft happens mostly in crowded buses.
They should increase number of buses, so that theft and accident
would mitigate this problem. As training suggested for their drivers &
conductors, also training should be done how to drive safely.

47 | P a g e

QUESTION 5
GRAPH

LIKERT SCALE
47

50

41

45

40

37

40

33

35

29

30

27

27

24

25
20
15

12

13

10

13

13
7

10
5

16
7

Arrival timing
of Buses are
good

BEST provides
worst services

BEST charges
high price

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

I like to travel
through BEST
bus
Strongly Agree

This is a Likert scale type question, it contains four question

Arrival timing of buses are good
BEST provides worst services
BEST charges high price
I like to travel through BEST bus
Options were Given as
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree

48 | P a g e

TABULATION

Particular
Arrival timing
of Buses are
good
BEST provides
worst services
BEST charges
high price
I like to travel
through BEST
bus

Strongly
Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree
Total
Disagree
Agree
12

33

41

13

100

10

29

47

13

100

27

37

27

100

13

16

40

24

100

DISCRIPTION
Arrival timing of buses are good
Out of 100 people, 14 % are agree with the above statement and 45 %
disagree with the statement and rests are not sure.it means BEST
have to look after Arrival timing of buses.
BEST provides worst services
Out of 100 people, only 14 % are agree that BEST provides worst
services and 39 % are disagree with the statement. It means services
are good but management is bad.
BEST charges high price
Only 9 % People agrees with the statement, which means prices are
affordable, thats why it is continuing.
I like to travel through BEST bus
31 % people agrees that they like to travel in BEST bus, only 29 %
disagree with the statement.
NOTE
Disagree = Strongly Disagree + Disagree
Agree =Strongly Agree + Agree

49 | P a g e

QUESTION 6
GRAPH
What do you think about Management of BEST Buses?

7%

4%

34%

55%

Excellent

Good

Average

Worst

TABULATION

PARTICULARS
Excellent
Good
Average
Worst
TOTAL

TOTAL
4
34
55
37
100

DESCRIPTION
This graph show that management of BEST buses are not good,
because out of 100 people, 37 people thinks it has worst management.
55 percent still thinks its management is Average.
It gives BEST a Rough idea to think and do something for its
improvement.
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QUESTION 7
GRAPH

Would you switch from BEST buses to Auto/Sharing Auto, if that is

available near to your House?

23%

77%

Yes

No

DESCRIPTION
This graph shows that, people are using BEST just because there are
no other options are left, this is a good chance for other competitors.
People will switch to other transport medium, if there is availability &
affordability in that medium.
77 percent of people said that they will switch to other mode of
transport.
BEST competitors just want one fault to and they will win the race in
competition.
BEST should do needful to provide affordable and safe services for the
people.

51 | P a g e

QUESTION 8
GRAPH

On what aspects should BEST Bus Department focus more?

68
70
54

60
50
40

27

30
11

20
10
0
Increasing
number of
buses

Arrival Timing

Changes in
Bus Fare

Training of
Staffs

TABULATION
PARTICULARS

RESPONSE

Increasing number of buses

54/100

Arrival Timing

68/100

Changes in Bus Fare

11/100

Training of Staffs

27/100

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DESCRIPTION
I asked respondents to select any two among this four, which they think
BEST should focus more,
Increasing number of buses
Arrival Timing
Changes in Bus Fare
Training of Staffs
I also mentioned to select any two which they should focus first.
What I got is that, most people think that BEST should focus more on
Increasing number of buses
Arrival Timing
Because out of 100, 54 percent choose increasing number of buses
And out of 100, 68 percent choose arrival timing should improve.
So this are the two main areas where BEST should focus more.

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CONCLUSION
Results of research on BEST UNDERTAKING Stipulated following
conclusion:
Services should be treated as the most valuable tool in todays world.
Providing better services to your commuter help you to sustain and
helps creation of goodwill for survival.
The services provided by BEST undertaking is not up to the mark,
commuters have lots of complains with BEST Undertaking.
Time management of the company is worst, and they are not focusing
to do so for that.
It has revealed that commuters are well educated about their rights, so
they want is what they like. After finishing this project, I learned that no
one is happy with the services provided by BEST.
It has also revealed that services are the most important for commuters
purchase decision. Most people depend on BEST buses for
college/schools etc.

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RECOMMENDATIONS
In this era, competition has increased.so it is better to change yourself
accordingly BEST should try to be innovative. They should try to bring
changes in their system.
Customers are considered as a king these days, they want good
service along with affordable price. A company will sustain only if they
provide these two things to customers.
Using latest technology of GPS also help people to know about the
buses timing etc. internet has changed the way we live. people wants
everything in mobile. BEST should come up with some app which will
help commuter to seek better information about timing of buses, fare,
GPS system etc.
I do believe that if you don't take care of your commuters someone else
will, so well treating your commuter will help to gain goodwill, which will
help to survive in long run.
So change is very important for BEST undertaking, if they wont, they
will lose.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Websites:

http://www.bestundertaking.com/organization_information.asp
http://www.bestundertaking.com/whos_who.asp
http://www.bestundertaking.com/history.asp
http://www.bestundertaking.com/transport/facilities_provided.asp
http://www.slideshare.net/chandrakantsamai/research-onbest-busessurvey
http://scroll.in/article/743072/it-might-be-the-worst-of-times-formumbais-best-but-there-is-still-hope
http://www.auminfotech.com/download/best-trapeze-case-study.pdf
https://www.scribd.com/search?page=1&content_type=tops&query=BEST
%20Undertaking
https://www.scribd.com/document/116965199/study-of-best-buses
http://www.uitp.org/sites/default/files/cck-focus-papersfiles/UITP_Trends_Exec_summary_12p.pdf
http://go4mumbai.com/showallsuggestions.php?id=BEST-Buses&page=1
http://localpress.co.in/2016/05/best-wants-mumbaikars-click-selfies-winfree-bus-passes/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brihanmumbai_Electric_Supply_and_Transpo
rt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BEST_Transport_division

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ANNEXURE
QUESTIONNAIRE

Consumer behavior towards performance of B.E.S.T

buses
Personal Details
1. Name
2. Gender
Male
Female
3. Age

10-15
16-25
26-35
36 & Above

4. Occupation
Student
Working
Questionnaire
5. What do you prefer most while travelling? *
Bus
Auto
6. How late does your bus arrive? *
5-10 Min
20-30 Min
40-50 Min
More than an Hour
7. Do you like the way Bus Drivers & Conductors treat you while travelling in
Bus?
Yes
No
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8. Do you feel safe while travelling in BEST Buses? (About accident, theft)
Yes
No
9. Likert Scale
Particular

Strongly
Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree
Disagree
Agree

Arrival timing of
buses are good

BEST provides worst

services
Best charges high
price

I like to travel
through BEST bus

10. What do you think about Management of BEST Buses? *

Excellent
Good
Average
Worst
11. Would you switch from BEST buses to Auto/Sharing Auto, if that is
available near to your House?
Yes
No
12. On what aspects should BEST Bus Department focus more? (Select any
Two)
Increasing number of buses
Arrival Timing
Changes in Bus Fare
Training of Staffs

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