Overview
- State deputy chief minister's office approved the purchase of 5,000 self‑owned air‑conditioned electric buses for BEST, with induction to be phased over three to four years and procurement costs estimated at about ₹6,500 crore.
- The move reverses a decade of reliance on private wet‑lease operators: BEST currently runs about 2,800 buses, of which roughly 249 are owned and 2,551 are under wet‑lease contracts.
- BEST must now finalise a financial model for committee approval while officials consider using revenue from redeveloping 23 depots across about 132 acres to help fund the purchase, a plan opposed by employee unions.
- Proposals to absorb drivers and other staff from wet‑lease contractors have been referred to the Law and Judiciary and Finance departments for feasibility review, raising questions about costs and timelines for workforce integration.
- The owned‑bus procurement is separate from a 1,500‑bus wet‑lease feeder project under the central PM E‑Drive scheme, and officials warn that delivery, financing and past stalled orders create execution risks even as the move aims to improve safety and service control.