Who Presents award to Mumbai's BEST for excellence in smart mobility?

Correct Answer :   FICCI

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the largest and oldest apex business organisation in India, has awarded the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking top honours in the 'Smart Mobility' category for BEST's transformation towards progressive mobility, an official statement from the BEST said on Tuesday (30th May 2023).

Reason : Pioneering efforts in adopting green and sustainable practices.

It said that the BEST has been working on their transformation for 2 years, as below:

1. 10.000 Electric Buses - Convert the entire fleet to electric and grow it to 10,000 buses to meet global standards. The fleet will double from 3,219 to 7,000 by 2023 and grow to 10,000 by 2026.

2. 100 per cent Renewable Energy - The entire fleet will be powered by renewable solar energy. The 700 MW of solar energy needed for this has already been procured. In addition, 330 public EV charging points are also being set up to encourage citizens to migrate to electric vehicles.

3. Digital Tickets on NCMC and BEST Chalo App - BEST's digital tickets initiative has been India's most successful ever. The app offers mobile tickets, passes, live tracking and live seat status, and is used by 1 in 3 bus passengers daily. BEST has also launched India's first National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) ever launched by any city/state bus utility.

4. 100 per cent Digital Buses - BEST operates India's first 100 per cent digital buses where passengers use the BEST mobile app or card to 'tap-in' and 'tap-out' themselves.

5. Premium Buses - BEST launched India's first app-based premium city bus services with specially designed luxury buses. These buses connect business and residential hubs, and operate 'Airport Express Buses' to improve connectivity to Mumbai airport, India's second-largest airport

6. First And Last Mile Services - BEST is the world's first bus transport undertaking to introduce e-scooters at bus stops for last mile connectivity. 1,000 e-scooters have already been deployed at 200 points, and this will grow to 5,000 e-scooters in 2023.

7. Mobility-As-A-Service (MaaS) - The entire passenger experience has been digitised. All these services are available on a single platform on the BEST Chalo App, to ensure seamless and hassle-free door-to-door journeys. BEST is the first in India to implement MaaS philosophy.

Results- 55 per cent increase in ridership, path to financial sustainability..

Source : mid-day