Mumbai: In a significant move to enhance the city’s public transport network, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) has announced the direct AC bus route from Mantralaya to Thane, a comprehensive revamp of its bus services, from Sunday, June 1, 2025. Among the key updates is the launch of a new air-conditioned (AC) bus route, A490, which will connect Mantralaya in South Mumbai to Balkum in Thane.

This new point-to-point service, designed especially for commuters, will operate via the Eastern Freeway and the Eastern Express Highway. Departures from Thane are scheduled at 7:30 am and 8:00 am, while return buses from Mantralaya will run at 5:30 pm and 6:00 pm, according to Times Of India report.

Alongside the new route, BEST will implement a series of changes affecting around 30 routes across Mumbai. These include the introduction of new AC routes, rerouting, renumbering, and revised schedules. Several existing non-AC bus routes will be upgraded to AC services starting June 1.

Major Bus Route Revamp From June 1; Check New AC Routes

The upcoming changes in BEST’s bus services from June 1 include several significant updates aimed at improving connectivity and passenger comfort. Bus route number 8, which currently operates between Mantralaya and Shivaji Nagar, will be upgraded to an air-conditioned service and renumbered as A-8.

The existing AC bus route AC-10, running between Backbay Bus Depot and Rani Laxmibai Chowk, will be rerouted. Its current path via Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Chowk, Reserve Bank, and P. D'Mello Road to Dockyard Railway Station will be discontinued. Instead, the revised route will pass through Hutatma Chowk, Mahatma Phule Mandai, and Bhendi Bazar.

Additionally, Route 11 Ltd, which serves commuters between Navy Nagar and Bandra Colony Bus Station (East), will now travel via Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Road between Byculla Station (East) and Parel, using the Lalbaug Flyover. As a result, the stops at Jijamata Udyan (Rani Baug), Jaihind Cinema, and Lalbaug will be cancelled. Route 25, which currently runs between Prabodhanakar Thackeray Udyan and Vihar Sarovar, will be renumbered as route 29.