MUMBAI: The familiar red BEST bus once left Borivli station (East) before dawn, carrying vegetable and fruit vendors to Vashi’s APMC market. Later, office-goers, IT professionals and private-sector employees used it to travel from Navi Mumbai towards Powai, SEEPZ, Andheri and Goregaon. After years of curtailment, BEST discontinued Route A471, formerly 524L, this month.Bus enthusiast and commuter Shubham Padave, campaigning for its revival for four years, has proposed four to five morning and evening peak-hour trips via the Eastern Express Highway, using newly inducted blade-battery electric buses with greater range. The route’s decline began in July 2021, when most trips were curtailed to Ghatkopar depot. By September, buses no longer reached Vashi. In September 2024, the Borivli-Ghatkopar service became air-conditioned and was renamed A471.Passenger frequency fell until only one trip remained. BEST officials cited “low passenger response” for the cancellation. A senior official said curtailed or cancelled routes could be reviewed once more buses became available.Regular commuters Harish Kulkarni and Meeta Salvi also urged BEST to restart the route with a few peak-hour trips, expanding the service when buses become available. Priti Mhatre, a Goregaon commuter, said its loss meant losing a direct, affordable connection that saved time and multiple transfers.BEST said commuters could use parallel routes 489 Ltd and A-470, or A-458 and A-460 from Gandhi Nagar.
