Maharashtra
The ₹3.25 Crore Mirage: Why BEST’s Future Lies In Ridership, Not Revenue
On August 6, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) reported daily revenue of ₹3.25 crore, one of its highest in months, following a May fare hike that doubled the minimum ticket price for both AC and non-AC buses. Officials hailed it as a step toward “sustainability,” citing not only higher collections but also “healthy” footfall.
Crowded Trains, Riskier Commutes After BEST Ridership Falls
Look past the balance sheet, however, and the picture shifts dramatically. Commuter rights groups estimate BEST’s daily ridership has fallen from roughly 3.5 million before the hike to about 2.5 million today, a loss of one million passengers in just three months. These commuters haven’t disappeared; they’ve been pushed onto already overcrowded local trains, where safety risks are mounting. A revenue spike that comes at the expense of passenger numbers is not sustainability, it’s a slow bleed of the very lifeblood that keeps a public transport system viable.
Mumbai once understood this. For decades, BEST operated as a cross-utility service, where surplus from electricity operations kept buses affordable, frequent, and extensive. The goal was mobility, not margin. Today, that ethos is slipping. Subcontracting to private operators has chipped away at service quality, while the fleet has shrunk under contractor mismanagement.
There is a proven, scalable way to do that: zero-fare bus travel for women. Far from being a “freebie,” such schemes, implemented in Delhi, Hyderabad, and Karnataka, have revived public transport, increased ridership, and strengthened economic participation.
Delhi’s Pink Ticket Programme Boosts Ridership and Inclusion
Delhi’s Pink Ticket programme, launched in 2019, has issued over 150 crore free rides. Women’s share of ridership has risen from 25% to over 33%, with daily beneficiaries reaching 11 lakh. Between 2019 and 2023, women’s ridership grew by 20%, easing crowding elsewhere, boosting workforce participation, and proving that zero fares can fortify rather than strain public finances. The cost is treated as a public investment.
Hyderabad’s Mahalakshmi Scheme Shows Rapid, Sustained Growth
Hyderabad’s Mahalakshmi scheme, rolled out in late 2023, shows even sharper gains: 200 crore free journeys in under two years, women’s ridership jumping from 35% to 60%, daily passenger numbers surging from 45 lakh to 60 lakh, and bus occupancy rates soaring from 53% to 97%. State reimbursements of ₹335 crore a month have turned potential deficits into fuller buses, healthier route economics, and measurable reductions in private vehicle use.
Karnataka’s Shakti Scheme Revives Urban and Rural Routes
Karnataka’s Shakti scheme tells a similar story. By mid-2025, it had delivered nearly 500 crore free rides, lifting Bengaluru’s BMTC ridership to its highest levels since 2015. In Mysuru, women now account for three-quarters of daily passengers. The state’s ₹11,994 crore investment has paid off in greater labour force participation, sustained rural and semi-urban routes.
Why Mumbai Should Adopt a Zero-Fare Policy for Women
For Mumbai, the lesson is clear. A zero-fare policy for women could stem BEST’s passenger losses, expand access to jobs and education, and stabilise routes through higher occupancy. As these states show, the broader social and environmental returns, cleaner air, less congestion, greater economic inclusion far outweigh the direct subsidy cost. The real dividend lies in productivity, climate resilience, and social cohesion.
Sustainability Lies in Moving People, Not Just Making Money
If BEST is to survive, its success must be measured not by how much revenue it collects, but by how many people it moves, safely, affordably, and inclusively. And the fastest way to achieve that is to start with the women who keep Mumbai moving.
Maharashtra
Mumbai Weather Update: City Sees Clear Skies After Heavy Overnight Downpour, Yellow Alert Issued; Overall AQI In Moderate Range At 63

Mumbai: After heavy rains lashed the city on Friday, bringing brief waterlogging and traffic disruptions, Mumbai woke up to sunny skies on Saturday morning. However, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) cautioned that the respite may be short-lived, as the city remains under a Yellow Alert with a forecast of partly cloudy skies and a possibility of moderate rain or thunderstorms through the day.
According to the IMD, temperatures are expected to hover around 34°C during the day and dip to about 25°C at night. The brief spell of unseasonal rain not only cooled the weather but also brought a remarkable improvement in the city’s air quality, which had deteriorated sharply post-Diwali due to increased pollution and stagnant winds.
Overall AQI In Moderate Category
Real-time data from AQI.in showed that Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 63 on Saturday morning, placing it in the moderate category, a notable recovery from the unhealthy levels recorded earlier in the week.
Among the city’s monitoring stations, Wadala Truck Terminal reported the highest pollution level with an AQI of 190, followed by BKC (75), Kurla (73), Worli (73) and Chembur (72). While mild traces of smog lingered in some of these areas during the early morning, visibility and air freshness improved significantly across most parts of Mumbai.
On the other hand, several localities recorded remarkably clean air. Thakur Village in Kandivali reported the city’s best air quality with an AQI of 25, while Parel-Bhoiwada (32), Malad West (38), Borivali East (40), and Kandivali East (43) also registered good air quality, offering much-needed relief to residents.
As per AQI.in’s classification, readings between 0–50 indicate “Good” air, 51–100 “Moderate”, 101–150 “Poor”, 151–200 “Unhealthy”, and above 200 “Severe” to “Hazardous.”
Friday’s rain marked the third unseasonal spell after the official monsoon withdrawal and was accompanied by lightning, thunder and gusty winds. The IMD had issued a Nowcast warning late Friday evening, alerting of potential thunderstorms and moderate rainfall over Mumbai and adjoining districts. Meanwhile, most parts of Maharashtra, excluding the Vidarbha region, continue to remain under a Yellow Alert for the next few days.
Maharashtra
Brave officer risked his life to save injured girl

Mumbai: Mumbai Police Traffic Officer has shown bravery in saving a young girl from the clutches of a cruel lover, after which this officer is being praised. He took the injured and bleeding girl to the hospital and risked his life to free her from the armed youth, after which the youth committed suicide.
Today at 10:17 am, a call was received from the MTP helpline of the Byculla Traffic Department Group that two-wheelers and four-wheelers were parked on the footpath in front of Meoresh Building, Dataram Lad Marg, Kalachowki, causing inconvenience to the passers-by. In response to the said call, Rider Police Constable Karan Suryavanshi of the Byculla Traffic Department reached the spot. When he was taking action at the said place, some people present there told the officer that a boy was attacking a girl with a knife in the cabin of Astha Nursing Home. Seeing the seriousness of the incident, Kiran Suryavanshi immediately went to the spot and tried to free the victim girl from the clutches of the accused boy and took her out of the nursing home. Since she was in an injured condition, he showed haste and without a moment’s delay, put the girl in a taxi and brought her to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital, Ranibag. The girl was given first aid there. Officers and personnel from Kalachowki took the injured woman to JJ Hospital for further treatment.
Besides, in this incident, the attacker also stabbed himself and was taken to KEM Hospital with the help of Kalachowki Police Station.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 4, Assistant Commissioner of Police as well as Senior Police Inspector of Kalachowki Police Station visited Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Railway Hospital.
The girl is undergoing treatment at Sir JJ Hospital. Police officers from Kalachowki police station are conducting further investigations. The officer is being praised for protecting the girl without caring for his own life and saving her from the clutches of her heartbroken lover.
Maharashtra
Samajwadi Party is not part of Mumbai Municipal Corporation Vikas Aghadi: Abu Asim Azmi

Mumbai: The Samajwadi Party will not enter into an electoral alliance with the Maha Vikas Aghadi in the Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, not will it be part of this alliance. Those who objected to the release of innocent Muslims imprisoned for 19 years but remained silent on the release of the accused in the Malegaon blasts. Those who express pride in the demolition of the Babri Masjid, take the names of Lord Ram and Lord Vishwanath, but call the holy water of the Sangam smelly and make Uttar Bharatiyas and North Indians a target for violence. This is a province where the Pawars go to do their country’s panddan. Those belonging to such provinces insult and subject North Indians and Biharis to violence.
If such people are part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Samajwadi Party will never be part of it.
The Samajwadi Party does politics of justice, secularism, constitutional values and Ganga-Jamuni culture. Therefore, we cannot be part of any alliance that includes forces that spread hatred and divide the country. This kind of explanation has been given by Mumbai Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi. Elections are approaching, in such a situation, Mahayoti and Maha Vikas Aghadi are very serious about their allied parties. In such a situation, the Samajwadi Party has clearly refused to enter into an understanding with Maha Vikas Aghadi and has called it biased. Now there is curiosity about the expected entry and entry of MNS in Maha Vikas. In such a situation, the Samajwadi Party has denied it and said that it is unable to participate in the elections with those who incite violence on the basis of regionalism.
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