The much touted merger of BEST Undertaking in Mumbai and the Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) to provide seamless public transport network in the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region with a central control seems to become a reality soon.

The talks for the union of the 4,500 strong BEST fleet with TMT that boasts of over 300 bus are underway. Once materialized the unification would provide better connectivity and improved services in the MMR.

The third major operator in the region, Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT), however, has ruled out merger.

The MMR spreads out over 4,355 sq km and has eight municipal corporations, nine municipal councils and covers over 1,000 villages. The proposal was deliberated in 2010, but got stuck in bureaucratic maze. Also, NMMT, which has two depots and a fleet of 226 buses, rejected the offer.