BEST to take legal steps against e-bus suppliers amid missed deadlines

According to senior officials, BEST has approached the Union Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Heavy Industries for advice on how to proceed legally against the companies responsible for the delays. The deadlock involves two key manufacturers, Switch Mobility and Olectra Greentech, both of which supply buses under a wet-lease model.

Currently, BEST’s operational fleet has dropped to 2,638 buses, of which only 298 are owned by the undertaking, while the remaining 2,340 are leased. The figure has reduced further this week after ten old buses were retired, officials confirmed.

A BEST official said, “The administration is under pressure to maintain services as the number of available buses keeps falling. Since the manufacturers have missed multiple delivery deadlines, the undertaking is exploring legal measures to ensure accountability and faster supply.”

The dispute primarily revolves around the lease rent. BEST had agreed to pay between ₹48 and ₹52 per kilometre for wet-leased operations, but the manufacturers have now demanded ₹78 per kilometre, citing higher battery prices and higher operational costs.

Olectra Greentech had been awarded contracts to supply two batches, 2,100 and 2,400 AC electric buses, but a large number are still pending. Similarly, Switch Mobility has yet to deliver 50 out of the 200 AC double-decker e-buses promised under its contract.

BEST recently added 150 new e-buses to its fleet, and another 100 are expected by the end of December. These buses will connect major railway and metro nodes, including Andheri, Jogeshwari, Kurla, Bandra, Kandivali, and Borivali, benefiting nearly 1.9 lakh commuters daily.