BEST Veteran Victor Nagaonkar Joins Urban Glide to Lead Urban Bus Operations

Victor Nagaonkar, a transport veteran with over four decades of experience at Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), has joined Urban Glide, a joint venture by Cityflo, to transform urban bus operations across Indian cities facing rapid urbanization and limited public transport capacity.

Nagaonkar, who served as Officer on Special Duty to the General Manager at BEST, will bring his extensive operational expertise to Urban Glide as President. During his tenure at BEST, he managed comprehensive bus operations including route planning, scheduling, fleet deployment, driver and conductor management, and depot development across Mumbai's bus network.

The veteran transport official pioneered real-time operational systems that maintained bus services during critical situations including floods, railway breakdowns, the coronavirus pandemic, and terror incidents. His reforms at BEST included implementing handheld electronic ticketing systems and establishing standard operating procedures that continue to support Mumbai's bus services.

India currently operates approximately 1.2 buses per 1,000 people, significantly below global benchmarks, indicating substantial growth potential in the urban mobility sector. The government's PM-eBus Sewa programme has allocated ₹3,435 crore to deploy 38,000 electric buses by 2029, supported by subsidies to accelerate urban transport transformation.

The bus ecosystem in India is experiencing a structural shift toward long-term Gross Cost Contracts requiring operators to manage fleets for up to 12 years. This transition has created a gap between original equipment manufacturers and operators who lack operational expertise for sustained city-scale services.

"For millions of Indians, the bus is a lifeline to work, education, and opportunity," said Nagaonkar, President, Urban Glide. "The shift we need is simple but can create a profound impact if we're able to deliver reliable, safe, and well-managed bus services that people can trust. With Urban Glide, the opportunity is to build systems that can make this a reality across Indian cities, at scale."

Urban Glide aims to bridge the operational expertise gap by developing frameworks for planning, driver sourcing and training, technology integration, and service assurance. The venture combines public sector expertise with private sector agility to redefine bus services for urban India, focusing on faster, smarter, and more sustainable city transportation solutions.