MUMBAI, Aug. 20 -- AC double-decker buses are set to make a comeback after a delay of more than two years, with BEST agreeing to increase the payment to manufacturer Switch Mobility by Rs.3.85 per km to resolve a long-standing contractual dispute. The revision will take the lease rate to around Rs.60 per km and pave the way for the delivery of the remaining 150 electric AC double-decker buses. BEST has already received 50 buses under the original contract. Senior BEST officials said the additional payment is required to cover the cost of installing a safety device mandated by the Centre. The BEST administration has submitted a revised proposal to the BEST committee, which has approved the marginal increase. "We will now inform Switch Mobility about it. Necessary documentation will be taken up and revised rates be implemented," said a senior BEST official. Switch Mobility will now have to submit a fresh manufacturing and delivery schedule. Sources said the buses are expected to start arriving in batches towards the end of this year. The supply of the buses had been stalled since December 2024 over technical and contractual issues. The dispute was referred to the Attorney General for a legal opinion and subsequently examined by a technical committee, which recommended the revision in the per-km lease payment in line with a Central government notification. "There is a scope of having 5-7 open deck semi AC buses as well as the city is a good tourist attraction," said BEST chairperson Trushna Vishwasrao. The return of the remaining buses will give BEST a significant boost to its electric fleet and add capacity on some of Mumbai's busiest routes, where passenger demand often outstrips available seating. The electric double-deckers, which are fully air-conditioned and powered by electricity, have become a popular and recognisable feature of Mumbai's public transport network....