Mumbai | September 10, 2026 — Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh has asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and BEST to increase bus services on the Mumbai Coastal Road, saying that operating only two routes on the publicly funded corridor is causing inconvenience to ordinary commuters.
Shaikh sent a letter to Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide and BEST General Manager Dr Sonia Sethi, requesting additional buses on the route. According to the report, the demand follows what he described as a good response from passengers using the existing services.
The two BEST routes currently operating on the coastal road are A-84, which runs between Dr Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Chowk and Oshiwara Depot, and A-78, which connects NCPA with Byculla. Shaikh has sought an increase in services so that more passengers can use the corridor for faster travel across Mumbai’s western and southern areas.
The Mumbai Coastal Road was built by the civic administration to address congestion along the city’s western coastal belt and reduce travel time. The road is restricted to pedestrians, heavy vehicles, three-wheelers and two-wheelers. These access restrictions mean that commuters who cannot use private cars or taxis depend on the available public-transport connections to benefit from the corridor.
Shaikh said in his letter that the project was built using public money and that running only two BEST bus services did not provide sufficient convenience to ordinary citizens. The municipal corporation is spending Rs 12,721 crore on the project, according to the report, which described the road as having been funded through citizens’ taxes.
The limited bus frequency is also creating an affordability problem for some passengers, Shaikh said. Commuters who want to save time may use taxis even when the fares are difficult to afford. He argued that additional BEST buses could offer a lower-cost alternative and reduce the financial burden on passengers travelling along the corridor.
Fares on the BEST services operating on the coastal road currently range from Rs 12 to Rs 50, according to the report. The MLA’s request is now with the municipal commissioner and BEST general manager, who have been asked to consider increasing the number of buses on the two routes and improving public access to the coastal road.
