MAM
Chalo launches BEST Airport Express
Mumbai: The BEST Chalo Airport Express, Mumbai’s premium Airport bus service has officially been launched, keeping in mind the various challenges travellers face during their airport travel. These buses are set to change the way public mobility is seen and, in many ways, the quality of these services is at par with those that are found at airports in some of the prominent metros of the world.
With comfort being at the core of this service, the Airport Express stands to positively reduce traffic congestion. Chalo has been operating public trials of the service so far, and the response has been good. Based on public trials and feedback, the service is now being launched on four routes officially.
Fleet and frequency: The Airport Express currently operates 230 trips daily to and from the airport and is on its way to expanding the fleet in the near future. With 50 per cent buses already electric and the fleet going towards a 100 per cent electric buses by March 2024, it is a positive step in the direction of sustainable mobility for the city of Mumbai. The Airport Express service operates every day from Monday to Sunday. The buses are scheduled to run at approximately 30-minute intervals in both directions, starting at 6.30 am from the airport, with the last bus departing at 11.00 pm.
Booking: These buses offer guaranteed seating. ● Passengers can find the Airport Express counters outside both the airport terminals from where they can book their ticket ● They can also book confirmed seats via the BEST Chalo App ● Booking can also be done via the web portal chalo.com/airport-express
Faster travel: The Airport Express will only stop on the way if a passenger has made a reservation, ensuring faster travel with fewer stops.
Chalo CEO Mohit Dubey highlighted the transformative aspects of the service, “The Airport Express service aligns with what Chalo exists for – making bus travel better for everyone. This extends beyond a mere convenience; it is an effort to shape how we should travel in our cities. It has been built on the pillars of efficiency and positive ecological impact so that we not only have a better quality of life today but also for future generations”.
The Airport Express service transforms Mumbai’s airport commute, emphasizing both comfort and sustainability. The express route, tailored for value-conscious travellers, ensures swift connections between the airport and key city spots connecting the airport to all corners of Mumbai, including Colaba in the south, Borivali in the north, Thane in the northeastern suburbs, and Kharghar in Navi Mumbai.
How to reserve a seat on the Airport Express
Reserving a seat on the Airport Express is a seamless process with multiple options tailored to suit passengers’ preferences.
Counter bookings are available at Airport Express counters in both terminals. Arriving passengers can buy a ticket for the next available bus at the counter.
Bookings can also be done on a web portal by visiting chalo.com/airport-express or done through the BEST Chalo App. On both the web and the app, passengers can key in their destination, pick a convenient time slot and book a guaranteed seat by paying online.
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Abhay Duggal joins JioStar as director of Hindi GEC ad sales
The streaming giant brings in a seasoned revenue hand as the battle for Hindi television advertising heats up
MUMBAI: Abhay Duggal has a new desk, and JioStar has a new weapon. The media and entertainment veteran has joined JioStar as director of entertainment ad sales for Hindi general entertainment channels, adding 17 years of hard-won revenue experience to one of India’s most powerful broadcasting operations.
Duggal is no stranger to big portfolios or bruising markets. Before joining JioStar, he spent a brief stint at Republic World as deputy general manager and north regional head for ad sales. Before that, he put in three years at Enterr10 Television, where he ran the north region for Dangal TV and Dangal 2, two of India’s leading free-to-air Hindi channels. The north alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of total channel revenue on his watch, a number that tends to get attention in any sales meeting.
His longest stint was at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he spent over six years rising to associate director of sales. There he commanded the Hindi movies cluster across seven channels, owned more than half of north India’s revenue across flagship properties including Zee TV and &TV, and closed marquee sponsorships across the Indian Premier League, Zee Rishtey Awards and Dance India Dance. He also handled monetisation for the English movies and entertainment cluster and the global news channel WION, a portfolio that would stretch most sales teams twice his size.
Earlier in his career Duggal closed what was then a Rs 3 crore single deal at Reliance Broadcast Network, one of the largest in Indian radio at the time, before that he helped launch and monetise JAINHITS, India’s first HITS-based cable and satellite platform.
His edge, by his own account, lies in marrying data and instinct: translating audience trends, inventory signals and client demands into long-term partnerships built on cost-per-rating-point discipline rather than short-term deal chasing. In a media landscape being reshaped by streaming, fragmented attention and AI-driven advertising, that kind of rigour is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
JioStar, which blends the scale of Reliance’s Jio platform with the content firepower of Star, is doubling down on its advertising business at precisely the moment the Hindi GEC market is getting more competitive. Bringing in someone who has spent nearly two decades doing exactly this, across some of India’s most watched channels, is a pointed statement of intent. Duggal has spent his career turning audiences into revenue. JioStar is clearly betting he can do it again, and bigger.
