Mumbai’s double decker bus fans hired a bus for the day to give it a befitting farewell ride on Saturday. Designed on the lines of London’s iconic Routemaster model, only about 20-odd non-AC double deck buses now remain in the BEST fleet, all to be withdrawn from public service forever, and to be replaced with new AC ones in about a month.

“All these buses will go away soon. About 25 of us pitched in money, hired a bus and gave it a farewell—we felicitated the staff, cut a cake and took a ride from Dharavi depot to Gateway of India via the Bandra Worli Sea Link and back to Dharavi,” said Rupak Dhakate. 

“We followed every discipline, respected the bus and documented the ride. It has been a symbol of the city and ruling its streets for decades, and has become the face of public transport for Mumbaikars,” said another fan, Shubham Padave. 

Introduced in 1937 to cope with the growing number of passengers, the sheer size and look of the double-decker buses made them very popular from day one. “The front seat on the upper deck of the bus, where the wind and rain lashed one’s face, will always be remembered,” said Arpan Mitra.

mid-Day had highlighted last week how Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, following appeals by bus fans, directed BEST officials to save one double decker bus for the BEST museum. This newspaper had earlier reported how a businessman from Dahisar is willing to buy one bus for his collection as well.

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