BEST buses are used instead of shared vehicles and taxis by commuters.

The feeder buses provided by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport company, which are primarily mini and midi AC and non-AC buses, have proven to be a godsend for commuters who were previously required to pay excessive prices for share auto rickshaws and taxis. In high-density feeder routes, such as those from business districts to railway stations like Bandra Kurla Complex to Kurla and Bandra station, Kurla station to Mumbai University, Churchgate to Nariman Point, Andheri station to the airport, and Ghatkopar metro station to Sakinaka, auto rickshaws and taxis operate primarily on a sharing basis.

According to passengers, auto and taxi drivers charge between ₹30 and ₹50 per passenger for distances under two kilometres. However, because more BEST buses were added and the cost of the tickets was decreased, more people now take the bus. Such buses are wet-leased by The BEST, which means that contractors own and operate them for a fee per kilometre. At present, The BEST runs 1,600 micro and midi buses on its feeder routes, linking business districts with train stations and hospitals in the city. The BEST currently runs more than 3,500 buses and serves 3.3 million passengers each day. Prior to covid, BEST carried 3.2 million passengers. To get from Kurla to BKC, I payed 40 for a shared auto rickshaw. It is terrible that the taxi drivers can demand whatever payment they wish. I no longer take any other buses after the rates were decreased and the frequency was raised, claimed Ribetto Francis, a 25-year-old Kurla resident.

The use of auto-rickshaws offered by mobile application-based cab drivers as a less expensive option to shared and conventional autorickshaws was also mentioned by passengers. From Powai to Lower Parel, Sion, and Thane, among other places, I frequently travel. I haven't begun taking buses yet since I'm afraid of how busy it will be during COVIDE-19. Anagha Majumdar, a 40-year-old resident of Powai, claimed that the mobile application-based auto rickshaws are less expensive than the standard rickshaws. To go from Churchgate train station to the Air India office, I paid ₹25 in shared cabs. Currently, I take BEST buses the most of the time because they depart from Churchgate station every five minutes, claimed Nikhil Mishra, a 34-year-old resident of Cotton Green. Currently, BEST runs buses every three minutes from Churchgate railway station to South Mumbai's corporate sectors, including the World Trade Center (WTC) and National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA). The organisation also intends to launch new routes in response to passenger demand.

To better understand the demand for buses and the patterns of commuters, we have begun conducting surveys of passengers at bus terminals. According to Lokesh Chandra, general manager of BEST, new routes, including feeder routes, are established when demand from passengers increases. In order to increase bus frequency, the organisation has also modified its current routes. Meanwhile, share taxi drivers have complained that they are losing a lot of money, especially since more buses were added. Since 1982, I have run a shared cab. My company has completely vanished. From Churchgate to Nariman Point, it costs ₹10, and from Nariman Point to Churchgate, it costs ₹15. We used to be able to make ₹800 every day before lockdown, but now we're lucky to make ₹400. We are out of business because bus prices were cut and new buses were introduced, claimed Sagir Ahmed, a 63-year-old inhabitant of Borivali.

I have 21 years of experience driving cabs. We are always having problems with fewer passengers as a result of the introduction and widespread operation of AC buses. Buses are filled with passengers leaving Churchgate station. According to Mulund resident Aslam Shaikh, 43, both employment and income have fallen. We frequently operate from new sites. We need to look for places where buses are not readily available because the number of buses operating everyday between BKC and Kurla has increased, according to a share auto-rickshaw driver who wished to remain anonymous. The introduction of additional buses, according to autorickshaw unions, has boosted competition, but it won't have a big influence on the demand for autorickshaws and taxis. The same worry and panic were present when mobile application cabs were released, yet autorickshaws and taxis managed to thrive. Similar circumstances apply to buses as the market becomes more competitive and more stable. According to Shashank Rao, president of the Mumbai AutorickshawMen's Union, BEST is a nonprofit organisation that runs buses for the benefit of the general population.

The introduction of additional buses, according to autorickshaw unions, has boosted competition, but it won't have a big influence on the demand for autorickshaws and taxis. The same worry and panic were present when mobile application cabs were released, yet autorickshaws and taxis managed to thrive. Similar circumstances apply to buses as the market becomes more competitive and more stable. According to Shashank Rao, president of the Mumbai AutorickshawMen's Union, BEST is a nonprofit organisation that runs buses for the benefit of the general population.