Brihanmumbai Electrical Supply and Transport, famously known as BEST, has signed a ‘Letter of Intent' to join the TUMI e-bus mission in the presence of Aditya Thackeray, Tourism, Environment and Protocol Minister of Maharashtra. That said, Mumbai has become the first city in the nation to collaborate with TUMI e-bus mission for the tailored implementation of e-buses in the city.

Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI) e-bus mission along with BEST will create a custom-made blueprint for Mumbai to deploy electric buses. This e-bus mission also consists of a technical assistance plan as well as a long-term ground plan to develop a road map for Mumbai in terms of electric public transport.

On the occasion, Aditya Thackeray, Minister in the Government of Maharashtra, said, “The transition to electric is necessary for all vehicle segments, big or small, in order to fast-track the achievement of climate and air quality goals. E-buses can play a significant role in this transition.”

In order to achieve carbon neutrality and fight climate change, the transition to electrification of public transport in Mumbai will play a key role hence BEST has taken a step to contribute and participate in TUMI e-bus mission.

Mumbai aims to assist the TUMI e-bus mission by preparing technical specifications for the e-buses, developing routes, public policies, financial models and more importantly planning a charging network.

Presently, according to BEST, Mumbai utilises the highest number of electric buses in India. Its fleet consists of 386 electric buses in the city and by 2023, BEST intends to expand by adding 1,900 e-buses.