Power cut at BEST charging depots due to non-payment of bills impacts electric bus operations in Mumbai, causes commuter inconvenience

Mumbai: Hundreds of BEST commuters faced inconvenience during Thursday morning peak hour rush as Adani Electricity disconnected power supply to three electric charging bus depots at Majas, Ghatkopar, and Gorai operated by EVEY Trans over non-payment of outstanding electricity bills.

Adani sources said the power supply was stopped since Wednesday afternoon following “non-payment of outstanding electricity bill dues of over Rs 8 crore”. “This was an action of last resort. We had been following up for regularisation of the account. The explanation consistently was that payments from BEST had not been received. However, the dues continued to mount,” an Adani source added.

Following discussions between EVEY Trans and Adani Electricity, power supply to all three depots was restored by Thursday afternoon after the former gave assurances regarding payment of the outstanding dues, sources said.

BEST committee member

Ajay Singh said this was ‘unwarranted’ and claimed it had led to shortage of buses on roads. He wrote a letter to panel chairperson Trushna Vishwasrao, demanding a probe as “a significant number of e-buses remained idle at the depots without being charged”. The action also disrupted vehicle charging schedules on Thursday, he added, while demanding stringent action against the wet-lease bus contractor.

A source in EVEY Trans, while denying that services were majorly impacted, said : “At Majas depot, 22 of the 63 buses were unable to operate due to the charging disruption, while Gorai and Ghatkopar depots managed to maintain full turnout despite the crisis. Our operations teams had to make emergency adjustments to minimise the impact on services.”

The source maintained that delayed payments from BEST had strained the company’s finances. He said that nearly 30% of payments from April onwards were pending, affecting the operator’s ability to meet rising operational costs, including electricity expenses. The company pointed out that electricity consumption has increased significantly due to fleet expansion and high charging demand, pushing operating costs higher.

A BEST spokesperson said a pending amount was paid to the contractor late and the power disconnection did not impact the bus turnout on Thursday.

However, Adani Electricity warned that the dues must be cleared within the agreed timeframe and that further action could be taken in case of continued delays.