My granny would often talk about the tram service in Mumbai that ran between Colaba to Sion and the ticket fare was just one anna, 16 annas to one rupee – 1 anna equal to 6.25pai
Then came the BEST buses, tourist and others too
Do you remember this trailor bus? Ah! that was long time ago......
Such pain it used to be to travel by BEST bus in Mumbai in the 80’s. For example, those who worked in Byculla had two choices to reach there from Bandra, either to hop on two trains, changing at Dadar and crossing over to the eastern side to take another train or taking a direct bus. There was only one route 4LTD, which had no proper timings. The frequency of the bus depended on traffic, sometimes there would be row to 3-4 buses within five minutes and then no sign of a bus for next one hour. It was frustrating to wait for so long and then walk into a crowded bus, where everybody who is seated is too tired to offer their seat to old people or ladies. The journey from Bandra to Byculla was thirty-five minutes and many times a commuter had to stand for full journey, leaving them too tired to cope with the hard working day ahead. Hence there was poor performance at work-place too.
Life was tough when there was red bus
It was full to capacity
In double line they stood their ground
With every jerk they broke their knee
The bus would move at snails pace
At every stop there was calamity
Fittest people hopped into the bus
While weakest stood for eternity
Expecting for an empty bus ride
Was a myth and that was tragedy
But things have changed. Travelling is such a pleasure now with the introduction of Volvo type AC buses called as BRTS King long AC buses.
The Bus ride in Mumbai town now
Cradles the passengers to melody sleepThere is soft cold air from knob above
And the humming of FM stream
Life is good while travelling now
No haste though horns do shrill scream
People busy, surfing the net
Some are chatting on blackberry
There is a socket too in the bus
To get gadgets work on electricity
The best part is that there is a good frequency of buses and there are many buses following the same route because of this waiting time is reduced. Commuters now reach their destination, fresh as ever. No dust and no wind, no messing of hair and no stink seeps through those air-tight windows, passengers sit in groups, have stories to share.
Life has changed for better now and What a joy to enjoy such luxury!!
Travel by AC or by Non-AC bus, you can easily find their routes wherever you wish to go, just check the bus routes before you travel in the city of Mumbai
