India News | BEST to Operate 250 More Buses from June 8 in Mumbai

Mumbai, Jun 7 (PTI) The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) will start operating 250 more buses in Mumbai in addition to 1,800 from Monday, an official said on Sunday.

Now, employees of government, private sectors as well as those who are self-employed can also travel in these buses, he said.

Also Read | Haryana Reports 496 New COVID-19 Cases, Tally Reaches 4,448: Live Breaking News Headlines & Coronavirus Updates, June 7, 2020.

The state government recently allowed inter-district movement of people within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) without any passes.

The government had earlier announced phase-wise reopening of the economy and public activities under 'Mission Begin Again' though the lockdown remains in force till June 30.

Also Read | Jammu & Kashmir: Religious Places to Remain Closed, Inter-State Travel Barred in Revised Lockdown Guidelines.

BEST PRO Manoj Varade said the frequency of buses will be increased if demand rises in the coming days.

"As of now, we are running buses on 81 routes. We will add more buses from Monday. Only 30 people--25 sitting and five standing--will be allowed to travel in a bus with proper social distancing," he said.

BEST had suspended its bus services on March 25.

"So far, only those people who were engaged in essential services and health workers were allowed to travel in BEST buses, but now self-employed people can also travel," Varade said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)