As Mumbai gets set for AC double decker buses, enthusiasts rue loss of upper deck 'breeze'

The breeze on the face of passengers on the upper deck of Mumbai's famed double-decker buses will be a thing of the past as the electric ones set to be introduced by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking are air-conditioned with a giant windscreen playing spoilsport. However, transport enthusiasts who have been using the conventional double-decker for years now, agreed that the breeze apart, views will be better with bigger windows.

Switch Mobility, the electric vehicle division of Hinduja group's flagship Ashok Leyland, unveiled the country's first electric double-decker air-conditioned bus on Thursday.

These 65-seater buses will replace the existing double-decker fleet of the civic-run undertaking after undergoing registration and requisite tests, officials said.


"As a child I used to love sitting on the front row seats. The view, the breeze and the branches of trees brushing past used to give me a rush. I used to leave my grandmother's arm and run to get these seats on the upper deck. It will be missed in the new buses," said architect Vivek Pai.

Meanwhile, the dual colour tone of the new electric double-decker buses are also coming in for some criticism from enthusiasts who believe black dominates in comparison to red that stood out in the Undertaking's fleet.

The bus has red below the lower deck windows on all sides, but most of the upper deck is painted black and the latter dominates as the windows also have a strong black tint.




"The double decker has too much black. The portion between two decks should be red," Akshay Marathe, a public transport enthusiast, tweeted.

Similar was the view of architect Unmesh Chaphekar, who said there should have been more use of red in the colour scheme in keeping with BEST fleet's image.

"The design of the bus should have included all these elements with some modifications that reflect the BEST character," Chaphekar added.

Other changes in the new buses include two stairs, one in the rear and another just behind the driver, and pneumatic doors, one wide near the rear wheels and a standard size opening at the front.

Existing double decker buses have a single wide door, while some conventional buses with double doors had seen one of them being sealed by BEST authorities.

The interior of the new double-decker buses set to be introduced are white with green hued seats with belts, and passenger amenities include laptop and mobile phone charging points and a passenger address (PA) system.

However, head space for those on the window seats may be on the lower side due to the AC duct, which may cause some problem for tall passengers on the stairway behind the driver as well.

The BEST ferries around 30 lakh passengers every day with a fleet of 3,700 buses.