For the tireless metropolis of Mumbai, public transport is more than just a convenience—it is the city’s very bloodstream. And for fifteen vibrant years, one particular workhorse kept that heart pumping: the full-size Ashok Leyland JnNURM Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) bus. On Saturday, October 11, 2025, that era officially drew to a close, not with a quiet trip to the scrapyard, but with a magnificent and emotional celebration led by a dedicated community of bus enthusiasts, ensuring these giants of the road received the farewell they deserved.
The event, which saw roughly 23 dedicated fans gather to pay tribute, was a poignant testament to the deep, almost familial bond that Mumbaikars share with their civic infrastructure. These buses, first introduced in 2009, were the harbingers of modernity, shedding the older, often rickety image of city transport and establishing a new benchmark for comfort, efficiency, and engineering. Now, as the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking pivots aggressively towards a cleaner, greener electric fleet, the beloved CNG carriers are completing their 15-year codal life and taking their final bows.
The JnNURM buses—so named because their procurement was subsidized under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission—represented a significant upgrade when they hit the streets. BEST initially acquired 550 full-size and 250 midi Ashok Leyland BS3 CNG buses, fundamentally reshaping the commuter experience.
They brought features that were, at the time, highly advanced for the city’s non-AC fleet: clear, crisp LED destination displays; wide rear doors for faster boarding and alighting; improved suspension that smoothed out the famously bumpy roads; and, most memorably for the enthusiasts, the robust, refined roar of the Ashok Leyland engine.
The emotional centerpiece of the farewell was a ceremonial ride, meticulously planned by a core group of enthusiasts including Azharuddin Kazi, Sumedh Tambe, Rupak Dhakate, and Sahil Pusalkar. While the original star—Bus 1864 from Malvani Depot, the official final bus of the series slated for retirement on October 25—was sidelined due to a last-minute engine issue, the show went on. Bus 1948, pressed into service from Gorai Depot, became the stand-in for the day’s celebration, carrying the weight of the entire series’ legacy.
The day began at Malvani Depot with a heartfelt send-off. The bus, no longer just a utility vehicle, was transformed into an object of veneration, adorned with garlands, ribbons, and laminated photographs of its model, contributed by Gandharva. The rituals were traditional and warm: a coconut was broken for good luck, a cake was cut in celebration of its long service, and staff members of the depot were felicitated—a crucial nod to the people who kept these machines running for a decade and a half.
The journey itself was a curated masterpiece, designed to honor both the buses and the city they served. It was a route meant to capture the spirit of Mumbai, traversing scenic and symbolic landmarks, some of which the JnNURM model had never officially serviced before.
The procession moved from Malvani, through the lush greenery of Aarey Colony, past the bustling hubs of the Mumbai International and Domestic Airports, before taking the dramatic, sea-hugging sweep across the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. It included a ride along the newly opened Mumbai Coastal Road, symbolically linking the buses of the past with the infrastructure of the future. A break at the Mantralaya Bus Station allowed for snacks, photo opportunities, and the display of custom-designed T-shirts, personalized with a 3D rendering of the bus and the participants’ favorite depot names.
The organizers made sure to touch upon the city’s historical nerve points. The bus continued its celebratory circuit past the iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST) and BEST’s historic Electric House-Colaba bus Depot. The return trip offered a high-speed view of the city via the Eastern Freeway, the functional artery of the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road, and a crossing over the recently reconstructed Gokhale Bridge.
The journey concluded back at Malvani Depot, marking the successful completion of the longest farewell tour an Indian city bus is ever likely to receive. Even the souvenir tickets, thoughtfully arranged by bus fan Abhishek Risbud, turned the final transaction into a keepsake—a tangible memory of a ride that would never be repeated.
