{"id":4022,"date":"2016-06-30T07:36:46","date_gmt":"2016-06-30T02:06:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=4022"},"modified":"2026-07-17T20:52:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:22:26","slug":"best-millennials-public-transport-mumbai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=4022","title":{"rendered":"What Riding On the BEST Bus in An Age of Uber Taught Me"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

F<\/span><\/p><\/div>

or the past 10 days, my commute to work has taken place in the comfy confines of an air-conditioned cab, which shows up on demand and if I\u2019m lucky, it even allows me to watch TV on a tiny screen. I hate it. I hate it not because <\/span>Uber<\/span><\/a> and Ola seem to be dead-set on burning a hole in my already-empty wallet, but because the convenience I experience only reminds me of what I\u2019m missing \u2014 my usual commute in the big red machine, Mumbai\u2019s BEST bus.<\/span>\n\nI\u2019ve been a regular BEST passenger for years now, but recently, the longest strike in BEST\u2019s history meant the unmistakable red buses have been off the road for the past 10 days. Though the service might have deteriorated over the years, the <\/span>BEST<\/span><\/a> remains a lifeline for lakhs of commuters each day, and like me, they\u2019ve been hit hard by the strike. In a city where most of the residents can scarcely afford a private vehicle, the BEST is not only an important mode of transport, but also a hub of community and a source of entertainment.<\/span>\n\nThough most of my <\/span>peers<\/span><\/a> have taken to apps like Uber like a fat kid takes to fries, I\u2019ve remained stubbornly loyal to the public transport system of the city. Again, before anyone accuses me (correctly) of being a poor broke bloke, I\u2019d like to mention that there are things you see on a BEST journey that you never will in a cab, no matter how weird the co-passengers in your Uber pool.<\/span>\n\n

Maybe my Uber-riding friends could glean something valuable from hopping on a BEST every once in a while.<\/p><\/blockquote> \n\nThe first time I rode a bus to college, I learned the important lesson of never upsetting an old <\/span>Maharashtrian<\/span><\/a> woman. A male passenger who refused to vacate his seat in favour of munching on bhujiya sev caught himself an earful. So the next time I found myself under the scrutiny of an old woman with a frown, I knew enough to make way immediately, before I suffered the same fate. On a BEST bus, you learn to look out for others as well as yourself. The passengers seem to share an unspoken bond. I\u2019ve lost count of the number of times a stranger has paid for my ticket because I\u2019ve lost my wallet or simply run out of change.<\/span>\n\nAt the risk of sounding like a dated copy of <\/span>Lonely Planet – India<\/span><\/i>, catching a ride on the BEST bus is possibly one of the best ways to experience Mumbai and meet its people. From the grandiose double-deckers that ply on wide streets bordered by neo-Gothic and Art Deco buildings in South Bombay, to the crowded, noisy, but oh-so-alive buses snaking through the manic markets in <\/span>Dadar<\/span><\/a>, the routes are as varied as the many facets of this city. From the angry bus driver who hops off the vehicle to brawl with a bike rider, to the kindly conductor who lets a sheepish student ride despite not having money for a ticket, you get a chance to interact closely with every shape and sort of Mumbaikar.<\/span>\n\n\"best\n

\n

I\u2019ve lost count of the number of times a stranger has paid for my ticket because I\u2019ve lost my wallet or simply run out of change.<\/p>\n

Image Credits: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\nIn a Medium <\/span>essay<\/span><\/a> titled \u2018Millennials and public transportation \u2014 Why is riding the bus so difficult?\u2019, the author suggests that,\u201dThe main reason most people don\u2019t ride buses is the inconsistency. Buses are often late, and bus schedules are often impossible to read.\u201d. While the BEST schedules might not be so complicated, it is true that the buses are inconsistent and often don\u2019t show up as per schedule. <\/span>\n<\/span>\n<\/span>Furthermore, the author explains that, \u201c<\/span>Millennials<\/span><\/a> are willing to use public transit if they are travelling with someone else who knows the bus routes and usual timings. The trouble is, this knowledge takes time to build up and often requires multiple missed appointments while learning when buses come.\u201d And the truth is that we are an impatient generation that wants to remote-control the world through our phones. <\/span>\n\nIn my case, my mother and grandmother, who had been commuting in the BEST buses all through their <\/span>childhood<\/span><\/a>, insisted I use the bus. They helped me figure out the bus routes, told me it won\u2019t hurt if I smiled at the conductor kakas once in a while. <\/span>\n<\/b>\n\nMaybe my Uber-riding friends could glean something valuable from hopping on a BEST every once in a while \u2014 and that is learn to come out of our self-made bubbles of isolation. In everything we do, we ensure that we\u2019re isolated. If we\u2019re travelling to another corner of the city then our earphones don\u2019t come off until we reach our destinations. If we\u2019re with our friends then our <\/span>phone screens<\/span><\/a> don\u2019t go off until the waiter arrives with our food. And on weekends when we\u2019re free from pressures of work, our laptops don\u2019t shut down until Monday arrives. And that makes me wonder if we even like social contact. <\/span>\n\nI\u2019m lucky enough to know a place where the people are still real, and not mere extensions of an online avatar, and I don\u2019t want to lose it. That\u2019s why I\u2019m happy that the BEST workers\u2019 labour unions are arriving at an understanding with the <\/span>government<\/span><\/a> and called off their strike yesterday. From today, I\u2019ll be back at my bus-stop, waiting for the 9.32 am bus with a smile on my face, because east or west, BEST is the best.<\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The longest strike in BEST\u2019s history means my commute to work has taken place in a comfy air-conditioned cab, which shows up on demand. I hate it. Others may have switched to cabs like a kid takes to fries, but I remain stubbornly loyal to the big red bus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":205,"featured_media":4025,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[3202,3804,3367,1245,4574,3816,7364,7365,1530],"class_list":["post-4022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pov","tag-best","tag-bus","tag-government","tag-millennials","tag-ola","tag-public-transport","tag-strike","tag-taxis","tag-uber"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Riding On the BEST Bus in An Age of Uber Taught Me<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The longest strike in BEST\u2019s history means my commute to work has taken place in a comfy air-conditioned cab, which shows up on demand. I hate it. 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