Starting June 1, Brihanm-umbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) has stopped issuing the `40 daily pass to passengers, who do not own the Radio Frequency Based Identity (RF-ID) smart card.
This has resulted in passengers facing a harrowing time, as they have to stand in long queues at bus depots to get these cards. “I was unaware about this change of rule. On Monday morning, I went to the Magathane bus depot to get a card made, and was shocked to find a long queue,” said Hafeez Khan, a senior citizen.
Mr Khan and his wife had to wait for two-and-a-half hours for their turn. Further, commuters also complained about being overcharged for the cards. “The smart card is available at `20. However, we were told to pay `25,” said Akhtar Shaikh, another person, who had applied for the card.
On May 3, the BEST had issued a circular and notice directing Mumb-aikars to get RF-IDs made incase commuters want to avail the benefits of daily passes. The RF-IDs were made compulsory because commuters were lending their daily passes to others, resulting in revenue loss for the BEST.
A BEST spokesperson said, “We had issued notices at least a month ago; commuters should have gotten it done earlier. When it comes to overcharging, the person who is being overcharged can lodge a complaint and necessary action will be initiated.”