Mumbai, November 26: In a recent announcement, BEST buses have decided to scrap 1,063 buses from its fleet. The buses that will be removed include 870 old single-decker diesel and 120 single-deckers CNG buses over the next 16 months, according to a Times of India report.

BEST officials informed that the buses that are being scrapped have completed their life span and they are being removed in accordance with the rules. The report mentions that by March 2020, 167 buses will be scrapped, and the others will be phased out by March 2021. BEST Fare Cut Sees 30% Rise in Ridership, AC Buses in Mumbai Witness 80% Jump.

Over the last few months, there has been an increase in ridership in BEST buses following the fare slash that took place. It was also announced in October that there will be no BEST fare hike till 2021, but on the other hand, the losses have escalated to Rs 2,250 crores for 2020-21. The amount is nearly six times that of 2018-19.

The deficit for 2018-19 was Rs 380 crore, and it jumped to Rs 729 crore in 2019-20. This amount is expected to reach its peak at Rs 2,250 crore in the next financial year. However, the intention of BEST is to ensure that commuters don't get hassled and they continue to avail BEST bus.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 26, 2019 01:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).