Mumbai's BEST prohibits loud phone chats, mandates use of headphones on its buses

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) has prohibited people from indulging in loud conversations on mobile phones and accessing audios/videos on mobile devices without headphones while travelling on its buses, officials said on Thursday. The decision has been taken by the city civic transport body to avoid inconvenience to co-passengers, a BEST spokesperson told PTI.

Acting on the frequency of complaints from passengers, the BEST undertaking took this decision and issued a notification on April 24, he said. Under the new regulation, all passengers travelling on BEST buses, the public transport service for Mumbai and neighbouring cities, are required to use headphones while watching videos or listening to any audio on their mobile devices.

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The spokesperson said BEST's buses are public service vehicles and hence, to avoid any kind of inconvenience or trouble caused by anyone to co-passengers, action can be taken under the Bombay Police Act's section 38/112. The department concerned has been asked to display the notification on all the buses, the official said. All staffers working on the BEST buses, including those of the wet-leased vehicles hired from private companies, will be made aware of this new regulation, he said.

The BEST, which has a fleet of nearly 3,400 buses, provides public transport services in Mumbai and neighbouring Thane, Navi Mumbai and Mira-Bhayander cities. More than 30 lakh passengers travel every day on the BEST buses.