The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking on Monday formally announced the restoration of Bus Route No. 1 — connecting Electric House (Colaba) and Bandra Reclamation — from Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
Air-conditioned buses will operate on this route throughout the week. Going forward, this service will be designated as ‘A-1’,” said a BEST press statement. BEST General Manager SVR Srinivas told mid-day that the route will resume from the Colaba depot on Tuesday morning.
One of Mumbai’s oldest routes, Bus No. 1 — originally operating between Colaba and Mahim — had recently been discontinued. It holds historical significance as the route where Mumbai’s first double-decker bus, a Daimler class vehicle, ran in 1937. mid-day had recently highlighted the suspension of this route on its front page.
Route No. 1 holds historical significance as the route where Mumbai’s first double-decker bus, a Daimler class vehicle, ran in 1937
The route, historically numbered ‘A’ during the tram era, was later upgraded to ‘1’ and eventually extended from RC Church, Colaba, to Bandra Reclamation. In recent memory, the Tata electric bus was also inaugurated on Route No. 1.
After the lockdown, when suburban trains weren’t operational for the public, Route 1 remained active and was often run using double-decker buses from the Colaba depot. Before the pandemic, there was also a night version of the route — 1 Ltd — operating from Colaba Depot to Santacruz Depot.
These night buses, popularly called “vampire routes” by fans, ran after sunset and shut down operations before sunrise. Additionally, a Route C1 from Colaba to Santacruz Depot was launched in 2021 but was suspended recently as well.
99 years ago…
Interestingly, July 15 is the day bus operations in Mumbai complete 99 years as the first bus service in Mumbai (then Bombay), India, began on July 15, 1926, with a route between Afghan Church and Crawford Market.
