Most of Mumbai's inhabitants rely on public transport to and from their workplace due to the lack of parking spaces, traffic bottlenecks, and generally poor road conditions, especially in the monsoon. However, do ride in a taxi and auto at least once in the city. If you are not used to Indian roads, an autorickshaw ride can be a heart-stopping, death-defying, laws-of-physics-bending adventure in a vehicle that feels like it might fall apart at a speed over 30 km/h with a driver who thinks he's Schumacher.
By ship
These are a few intra-city ferry services:
Gateway of India to Elephanta caves
Fast boats and Catamarans operated by private operators. These are moderately priced. This is the only way to get to Elephanta Caves.Marve Jetty (Malad) to Manori Jetty
Cheap ferry connecting Manori and Gorai. Also services for Esselworld Amusement Park.Versova (Andheri) to Madh Jetty
Cheap ferry connecting Madh/Erangal/Aksa/Marve.Gorai (Borivali) to Gorai Beach
Low cost ferry connecting Gorai Beach/Esselworld.
By car
Travel agents and hotels can arrange private chauffeur driven cars to provide services. Expensive by comparison with taxis, they are the most trusted, secure, and comfortable way to travel around the city. Driving in Mumbai can be difficult, because of poor driver discipline, but chauffeur driven services are very reasonable. These can be arranged by travel companies or online from the countries of origin. Car rental agencies such as taxiGUIDE.in (http://www.taxiguide.in/T...), Clear Car Rental (http://www.clearcarrental...), Avis (http://www.avis.co.in) and Hertz (http://www.hertz.com) also have services in Mumbai.
By bus
Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport known as BEST (http://www.bestundertaking.com) provides efficient and comprehensive services connecting up all places of the city and the suburbs. Some services also link the city with the extended suburbs like Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Mira-Bhayanadar areas. Seats are almost always occupied. There are bus stops all over the city. There is usually a crowd and and queue. You have to get in through the rear entrance and off at the front. Tickets are issued by a uniformed "conductor" after you get in. Special seats are marked for "Ladies", "Senior Citizens", "Handicapped", "Expectant Women", and "Women with infants". They can get in from the front.
Buses run from 5AM to midnight. Selected routes run beyond these timings, but much less often. Average frequency between buses ranges from five to 30 min depending on the route. Fares are reasonable and buses can be travelled during peak hours, unlike trains which are far too crowded. Some trunk routes do get extremely crowded however. Peak hours also have traffic snarls which may depend on the area traversed and the state of the roads.
What connects Electric supply and Transport?
BEST got into transport by starting a tram company. Now, of course, it runs buses that run on diesel & CNG, not electricity. The company is still in charge of electricity distribution for South and Central Mumbai.
Buses are numbered and the final destination is marked on the front in Marathi and on the side in English. Generally, buses around the city and trunk routes would be in the 1-199 series. Buses in the western suburbs would be the 200 series while those plying in the central and eastern suburbs would be in the 300 and 400 series. Services to Navi, Mumbai are in the 500 series and buses to the Mira-Bhayander area are in the 700 series. The BEST website has a nifty tool (http://www.bestundertakin...) that will help you plan your journey.
BEST has introduced the "DayPass" Cost for adults â Rs 25 (across Mumbai, Mira-Bhayander, Navi Mumbai and Thane - for children it's less), a ticket valid all day until midnight on all buses except Express and A/C services.