Mumbai: Gorai locals’ calls to revive defunct bus route grow louder

The villagers of Uttan Gorai Manori Dongri Chowk and Pali in the western suburbs of Mumbai have been grappling with a lack of connectivity visavis public transportFor college students and locals bus route 8 from Uttan Naka to the Gorai creek which used to be operated by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation MBMC always proved dependable but this service was discontinued in 2021 amid the pandemic The reason cited by the authorities was the lack of space for Uturns and parking especially near the Gorai jettyA bus navigates a narrow laneSince then locals have been shelling out significant amounts of money on auto rides and other modes of transport to come to the Gorai jetty to catch a ferry Rossi DrsquoSouza a member of the Gorai Gaothan Panchayat said ldquoThough for one day spending R40 on share autos does not sound too bad but our villagers have been spending that amount daily for the past three to four yearsrdquoAuto cartelAnother reason why locals are demanding the resumption of the bus service is the monopoly that auto drivers in the area are trying to maintain Once a commuter gets off the ferry at Gorai jetty auto drivers charge locals and tourists Rs 50 and Rs 100 respectively to take them to Cross Junction a distance of 45 kmOnly in rare occurrences does one get to bargain with the auto drivers When this reporter visited the area auto drivers expressed hostility about buses admitting that they opposed them as they would cost them their customers A frequent commuter Malingam Naidu told midday ldquoAuto drivers are one of the main reasons for the stoppage of buses They are completely opposed to the reintroduction of buses and they charge exorbitant prices to those who take autosrdquoFreeda Pradeep Moraes Goraibased activistAn auto driver said on the condition of anonymity ldquoThe narrow roads are a big reason why buses cannot ply here smoothly In the past buses would crash into twowheelers while reversing at the Gorai jettyrdquo Auto drivers believe the main problem is the parking of twowheelers on the road outside the jetty as many riders donrsquot like paying the extra cost of ferrying their vehicles across the Gorai creekExisting routeCurrently bus route 4 from Bhayandar railway station to Global Vipassana Pagoda is operational and used by those who travel to work But it could also be the main means of transport for those attending college and school Samuel DrsquoSouza a college student said ldquoIt will be easier to travel by route 8 when it resumes if the timings are tweaked to match those of educational institutes I would either be half an hour early or late Pricewise it would save us a lot of moneyrdquoActivist speaksFreeda Pradeep Moraes a local activist said ldquoBus route 8 is also important for people travelling to the Karuna Hospital in Borivli In cases that are not critical but do require a hospital visit people would like to travel via buses if they are available as private transport is not available or affordable for all to userdquo She added ldquoMBMT buses are already low in number in our area and route 8 is an important one Bus connectivity is something that is not a want for us locals it is a needrdquoRossi DrsquoSouza along with other locals has been trying to revive the bus route for the past three years but all attempts have been unsuccessful due to the same reason lack of space He added ldquoAs a taxpayer it is my right to have proper public transport connectivity Many patients from Uttan travel daily to Karuna Hospital for treatment Even students housemaids and working people will greatly benefit from having a reliable public bus servicerdquo Though the route has proper infrastructure including bus stops the narrow roads and lack of parking and Uturn space pose problems and authorities have not come up with a solution midday contacted MBMT officials to understand their perspective but received no reply by press time