Mumbai bids farewell to beloved double-decker buses made famous by Bollywood films

Commuters riding on an iconic double-decker bus on the last day of its service in Mumbai on Sept 15. - PHOTO: AFP

MUMBAI: As the sun set over the Gateway of India in Mumbai last week, a group of about 90 bus aficionados gathered near the monument for a small celebration to see off the city’s last remaining old double-deckers before they set off for their final journey.

A bus driver and conductor cut a cake to commemorate the retirement of the vehicles, while families snapped photos to remember the moment. As the open-top bus took the familiar twists and turns that it has done for decades along the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and Marine Drive, passengers chanted slogans in Marathi that called the bus “Mumbai’s pride”.