On a particularly dull rainy morning, we decided to give it a go. Pretending to be tourists, we boarded the bus at Gateway of India. To our surprise, besides the driver and conductor, we were the only passengers inside the bus. After buying a pass—which, we were told, could be used to ride any BEST bus till midnight—we began to look around eagerly, wondering what to expect. Five minutes in, we turned to the conductor to ask whether a guide would be managing the tour. We were amused when he reluctantly rose from his seat, and  began pointing out landmarks as we passed them, such as Oval Maidan (where, he said, Sachin Tendulkar learned to play cricket), Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan (“a place for very, very important politicians”) and Marine Drive (“the end point of Bombay”). 

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He also commented on the monsoons, and told us we were visiting the city at the wrong time of the year. As we drove past Colaba, Mantralaya and Nariman Point, our makeshift guide mentioned the bus is almost always empty, except for a handful of passengers who trickle in over the weekend. This has also led to the route being cut down by half—the bus turns around at Mahalaxmi railway station and heads back to its point of origin. We noticed that most of the landmarks couldn’t be seen from the main road, such as Brabourne and Wankhede Stadiums, and Babulnath Mandir; they were hidden behind buildings or located down a dingy lane. Looking at this through the eyes of a tourist, we wondered what a newcomer would make of this urban jungle largely dotted with concrete monstrosities. The AC bus was comfortable with functional seating, and equipped with a large wheelchair lift that opens out from one of the windows in front. We would have loved to share the bus with other passengers, retelling stories about the city and life’s goings-on. Instead, we amused ourselves by pretending we’d booked a private AC bus to tour south Mumbai.

As we hopped off at Apollo Bandar, we realised this could be an unusual way to spend time with friends, unlike the usual meal or movie. For some of us, the bus may even be a quiet refuge to read a book while whizzing through the city!

WHAT: BEST Hop-on Hop-off bus service
WHERE: Starts at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Bus Depot, Fort
WHEN: Every day from 9AM to 6PM 
BOOK:  Rs 150 per person