The famous double-decker buses of Mumbai will get phased out by October 2023 owing to the high operational costs and less space on the roads.
According to the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport, the maintenance of the vehicles is a challenge as the cost was more in comparison to the normal buses.
The double-decker buses were introduced in Mumbai in 1937 and since then they have been a popular and useful mode of transport for the locals using road transport extensively. Initially, there were 141 buses in 1947 which grew to 882 by 1993. With the decline, now there are just 120 buses plying across seven routes in Mumbai.
As per the plans, the buses are expected to phase out in two parts. 72 of the 120 buses will get off the road by December 2020, and the rest of them would phase out by October 2023.