Public Transport in Mumbai
Public transport systems in Mumbai include the Mumbai Suburban Railway, Monorail, Metro, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses, black-and-yellow meter taxis, auto rickshaws and ferries. Suburban railway and BEST bus services together accounted for about 88% of the passenger traffic in 2008. Auto rickshaws are allowed to operate only in the suburban areas of Mumbai, while taxis are allowed to operate throughout Mumbai, but generally operate in South Mumbai. Taxis and rickshaws in Mumbai are required by law to run on compressed natural gas (CNG), and are a convenient, economical, and easily available means of transport.
Mumbai has the largest organised bus transport network among major Indian cities.
Mumbai's public transport consists primarily of rapid transit on exclusive suburban railway lines augmented by commuter rail on main lines serving outlying suburbs, the bus services of the three municipalities making up the metropolitan area, public taxis and auto rickshaws, as well as ferry services. A metro and a monorail system have recently been inaugurated. A commercial Seaplane Service has recently been introduced.
Rail.
The Mumbai Suburban Railway, popularly referred to as Locals forms the backbone of the city's transport system. It is operated by the Central Railway and Western Railway zones of the Indian Railways. Mumbai's suburban rail systems carried a total of 6.3 million passengers every day in 2007. Trains are overcrowded during peak hours, with nine-car trains of rated capacity 1,700 passengers, actually carrying around 4,500 passengers at peak hours. The Mumbai rail network is spread at an expanse of 319 route kilometres. 191 rakes (train-sets) of 9 car and 12 car composition are utilised to run a total of 2,226 train services in the city.
The Mumbai Monorail and Mumbai Metro have been built and are being extended in phases to relieve overcrowding on the existing network. The Monorail opened in early February 2014. The first line of the Mumbai Metro opened in early June 2014.
Mumbai is the headquarters of two zones of the Indian Railways: the Central Railway (CR) headquartered at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus), and the Western Railway (WR) headquartered at Churchgate. Mumbai is also well connected to most parts of India by the Indian Railways. Long-distance trains originate from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Dadar, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Mumbai Central, Bandra Terminus, Andheri and Borivali.
The Mumbai Suburban Railway is the oldest in Asia, founded in 1867. It is owned by Indian Railways and operated by its Western Railways and Central Railways divisions. With a length of 430 km, it has highest passenger density in the world, 6.3 million people daily, which is more than half of daily capacity of Indian Railways. It has four radial lines:
Western between Churchgate railway station and Dahanu Road
Central between Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) and Kasara/Khopoli
Harbour, running between CST and Panvel/Andheri
Trans-Harbour, running between Thane and Vashi/Panvel
Mumbai railways offer first class commuter transport. First class fares are approximately 10 times the second class fare[6] and therefore tend to be less crowded in the non rush hour period. First class compartments also have slightly better seats than second class. less crowded compartments during non peak hours, the first class compartments are rather more crowded during the peak hour time, as there is a large supply and demand gap.Its notoriously hard to get into the first class compartment as the coach is overcrowded with people hanging out of the doors.[citation needed]
There are also women-only cars (termed 'ladies'), and since 1992, 'Ladies Special' trains with all coaches reserved for women passengers.
The Mumbai suburban railway network is constantly struggling to cope with the growing population.
Monorail.
The Mumbai Monorail is a monorail system for the city of Mumbai. Construction began in January 2009 and the first operational line was inaugurated on 1 February 2014. It is being contracted by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority and is the first monorail in India.
There are four lines proposed. The first two are 25 kilometres (16 mi) long. Out of the two, construction on the first line has begun.
A line running from Malabar Hill to the Bandra-Kurla complex via the Haji Ali Dargah, Jacob Circle, Wadala Road, Sion Hospital and Dharavi. This is planned to have been opened by 2011.
A line from Thane to Bhiwandi via Kalyan. A consultant's report has recommended to government that this corridor be instead served by a road-based system for the next 10–15 years utilizing buses and bus rapid transit.
Two lines 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) long are to be constructed after the first two have opened.
Chembur to Jacob Circle via Mahul. This route is planned to have been opened by December 2010.(May get extended to Vashi, Navi Mumbai.)
Lokhandwala Complex to Kanjurmarg via Oshiwara.
Additionally, previously planned Mumbai Metro corridors are also being examined to be made as monorail corridors instead of metro by MMRDA due to the dense and congested areas these corridors pass through. The corridors are:
Hutatma Chowk – Ghatkopar – 21.8 km
Ghatkopar – Mulund – 12.4 km
Bus.
Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) has a fleet of single and double decker buses. Air conditioned Kinglong buses were supposed to be ordered to modernize the fleet, but Ceritas buses from Punjab were quietly bought instead. These frequently break down and hold up traffic due to their poor quality of engineering. Senior leadership of the BEST has refused to comment on the issue.
Mumbai's bus services carried over 5.5 million passengers per day in 2008, which dropped to 2.8 million in 2015. Public buses run by BEST cover almost all parts of the metropolis, as well as parts of Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar and Thane. The BEST operates a total of 4,608 buses with CCTV cameras installed, ferrying 4.5 million passengers daily over 390 routes. Its fleet consists of single-decker, double-decker, vestibule, low-floor, disabled-friendly, air-conditioned and Euro III compliant diesel and compressed natural gas powered buses. BEST introduced air-conditioned buses in 1998. BEST buses are red in colour, based originally on the Routemaster buses of London. Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC, also known as ST) buses provide intercity transport connecting Mumbai with other towns and cities of Maharashtra and nearby states. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) and Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) also operate their buses in Mumbai, connecting various nodes of Navi Mumbai and Thane to parts of Mumbai.
Buses are generally favoured for commuting short to medium distances, while train fares are more economical for longer distance commutes.
The Mumbai Darshan is a tourist bus service which explores numerous tourist attractions in Mumbai. Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) lanes have been planned throughout Mumbai. Though 88% of the city's commuters travel by public transport, Mumbai still continues to struggle with traffic congestion. Mumbai's transport system has been categorised as one of the most congested in the world.
Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) operates air conditioned Volvo buses from Navi Mumbai to Bandra, Dadar & Borivali and non A/C buses from Navi Mumbai to Mulund (East and West).
Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Transport (KDMT) operates buses in Kalyan and Dombivli and to areas in Navi Mumbai such as Nerul, Vashi, Panvel, Kharghar & Belapur CBD.
Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) operates their buses from Thane to Mulund and Borivali.
Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Transport (MBMT) operates their buses from Mira-Bhayandar to Jogeshwari and Borivali.
Vasai-Virar Municipal Transport (VVMT) operates their buses from Vasai-Virar to Mulund, thane and Bhivandi.
Taxis.
Taxis arrived in 1911 to complement horse wagons. Black and yellow Fiat taxis are an integral part of the city's heritage and have been depicted in numerous Bollywood movies. Metered taxis ply throughout Mumbai and have a monopoly from Bandra to Churchgate on the Western line and Sion to Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus on the Central line. Beyond Sion and Bandra auto rickshaws are not allowed and one has to hire a taxi. However, between Sion to Thane and Bandra to Bhayandar, both Taxis and autorickshaws are available to transport passengers.
Silver-Green taxis run by Meru and Yellow-Red by Gold cabs and Black by Mega cabs.
Blue and silver air conditioned metered taxis known as Cool Cabs
Some private taxi operators provide yellow number plate cars for transportation.
Mumbai is served by two intra-city highways: Old Pune-Mumbai Highway and Mumbai Ahmedbad Road, a part of National Highway 4.
Number of taxis
About 58,000 in Greater Mumbai and 98,566 in Mumbai MMR.
Classic black and yellow taxi numbers on Greater Mumbai roads had fallen to 20 000 by 2010 as 35,000 new taxis such as Maruti Alto, Wagon R and Omni, Tata Indica and Hyundai Santro joined the ranks. Recently State Transport Authority of Maharashtra State has also introduced on-call facility to book these taxis, one can call 022-61234567 to book black and yellow (Non-AC) and CoolCabs (AC) taxis. Radio cab services have been introduced by some private companies. However these taxis need to be booked in advance by calling their call centre number.
Taxi Regulations
Law requires the driver of an unengaged taxi to take a passenger wherever they want to go, regardless of distance or time, if the fare meter of the unengaged rickshaw/taxi is in a 'For Hire' mode. The modes were denoted by older mechanical meters in this manner: a) upright – for hire b) half mast – not doing business c) facing down-currently hired.
Authorities encourage passengers to make complaints, for refusal to convey, excess fare, tampered meters, fake tariff cards, misconduct by drivers by direct email as well as by a website.
Fare Calculation
A mechanical meter were deciding the fare but now it is replaced with electronic meter, which is proportional to the distance travelled. The basis for the fare calculation for black and yellow (Non-AC) taxi is:
Rs. 22 for the first 1.5 km.
Rs. 13.96 for each subsequent kilometre
The fare is payable at a multiple of 1.25 (i.e. 25% additional) between midnight and 5 am.
Similarly, the basis for the fare calculation for Cool cabs (AC) is:
Rs. 23 for the first 1.5 km.
Rs. 15.50 for each subsequent kilometre
The fare is payable at a multiple of 1.25 (i.e. 25% additional) between midnight and 5 am.
Auto rickshaws.
Auto Rickshaw in Mumbai
Auto rickshaws play an important role of public transport in Mumbai. There are 246,458 black and yellow metered auto rickshaws, often simply called autos, in the Mumbai MMR as of 2008. Since 2002, all auto rickshaws have been required to use CNG as fuel. However, not all rickshaws comply. Mumbai MMRDA extends up to Alibag, Badlapur, Kaylan M.C. and Ulhasnagar M.C., and in these areas a CNG filling facility is not available, hence the fuel is either petrol or LPG.
Auto rickshaws are not permitted to enter Old Bombay. The southernmost points accessible to them are Bandra Fire Station in Western Mumbai and Sion Bus Depot in Central Mumbai. Auto rickshaws registered in Mumbai are not allowed travel beyond the municipal limits. They have been allowed to travel between Sion to Mulund in the Central Suburbs and up to Mankhurd on the Harbour line. People who wish to travel beyond Mumbai to suburbs like Vashi, Airoli have to catch a suburban rickshaw. In the western suburbs they are allowed to travel between Bandra and Bhayandar only.
A mechanical meter decides the fare and is proportional to distance travelled. The regulation for auto rickshaws is similar to taxis, and methods of complaining against the auto rickshaws and taxis are available on the Mumbai RTO website.
Water Transport.
Mumbai is served by two major ports, Mumbai Port Trust and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, which lies just across the creek in Navi Mumbai. Mumbai Port has one of the best natural harbours in the world, and has extensive wet and dry dock accommodation facilities. Jawaharlal Nehru Port, commissioned on 26 May 1989, is the busiest and most modern major port in India. It handles 55–60% of the country's total containerised cargo. Ferries from Ferry Wharf in Mazagaon allow access to islands near the city.
The city is also the headquarters of the Western Naval Command, and also an important base for the Indian Navy.
Ferry services
Ferry between Versova and Madh Island
from Vashi (in Navi Mumbai) to the Gateway of India.
to Elephanta Caves and to nearby places such as Alibaug, Rewas and Mandwa.
in northern Mumbai across the Manori creek. The barges operate at regular intervals across the shallow creek linking Manori to Malad.
from Versova to Madh Island.
Road Transport.
Mumbai is served by National Highway 3, National Highway 4, National Highway 8, National Highway 17 and National Highway 222 of India's National Highways system. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway was the first expressway built in India. The Eastern Freeway was opened in 2013. The Mumbai Nashik Expressway, Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway, are under construction. The Bandra-Worli Sea Link bridge, along with Mahim Causeway, links the island city to the western suburbs. The three major road arteries of the city are the Eastern Express Highway from Sion to Thane, the Sion Panvel Expressway from Sion to Panvel and the Western Express Highway from Bandra to Dahisar. Mumbai has approximately 1,900 km (1,181 mi) of roads. There are five tolled entry points to the city by road.
Mumbai had about 721,000 private vehicles as of March 2014, 56,459 black and yellow taxis as of 2005, and 106,000 auto rickshaws, as of May 2013.
Air Transport.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (formerly Sahar International Airport) is the main aviation hub in the city and the second busiest airport in India in terms of passenger traffic. It handled 36.6 million passengers and 694,300 tonnes of cargo during FY 2014–2015. An upgrade plan was initiated in 2006, targeted at increasing the capacity of the airport to handle up to 40 million passengers annually and the new terminal T2 was opened in February 2014.
A dedicated six lane, elevated road connecting the new terminal with the main arterial Western Express Highway was also opened to the public the same day. The proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport to be built in the Kopra-Panvel area has been sanctioned by the Indian Government and will help relieve the increasing traffic burden on the existing airport.
The proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport to be built in the Kopra-Panvel area has been sanctioned by the Indian Government and will help relieve the increasing traffic burden on the existing airport.
The Juhu Aerodrome was India's first airport, and now hosts the Bombay Flying Club and a heliport operated by state-owned Pawan Hans.
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