“Chala sagle jana juna style wala ticket ghya. Aaj ha bus cha shevatcha diwas aahe. Apla pravas smarniy kara (everyone take the old-style ticket. Today is this bus’s last day. Make your travel memorable),” said the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) bus conductor, Gopal Sukte, while issuing vintage bus tickets to the passengers on the upper deck of the iconic red double-decker bus after it started from Seepz Bus deport.
His colleague, Santosh Sawant, responsible for issuing tickets on the lower deck, sat idle, as commuters and enthusiasts flocked to the upper deck of the bus for one last glimpse of Mumbai’s skyline and to make their journey memorable.
After 86 years of serving various routes across Mumbai, these non-air-conditioned double-decker buses bid adieu to daily commuters and tourists on Friday night as the BEST authorities decided to phase out the buses as part of ‘modernisation’ and operational cost. The last service of these non-AC double-decker buses left Marol Depot on Friday morning.
