After a few more private bus operators contracted by the public transportation agency joined the continuing strike on Thursday, bus services operated by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) enterprise were impacted at its 12 depots, according to authorities.
A BEST official told PTI that as many as 921 vehicles from three private operators at 12 BEST terminals were off the road, which had an impact on bus service from those locations since the morning.
Services on various bus lines were disrupted on Wednesday when drivers of the private bus operator SMT, commonly known as the Daga Group, went on a flash strike at the BEST depots in the eastern suburbs’ Ghatkopar and Mulund.
According to the authorities, when more drivers from other private operators, including Mateshwari and Tata Motors, joined the strike on Thursday morning, the protest over the wage increase and other demands became more intense.
Since additional drivers joined the protest in the morning, they said that BEST’s wet leased bus operations have been seriously disrupted at Ghatkopar, Mulund, Shivaji Nagar, Worli, and eight other depots.
The drivers who demonstrated on Wednesday said they haven’t received a sufficient pay boost in the previous three years and struggle to manage their costs. In comparison to the monthly salary of workers of the BEST initiative, they alleged, their incomes are relatively low.
The BEST initiative, which offers public bus services in Mumbai, has leased buses from a few contractors under a wet lease arrangement, which places the burden of vehicle ownership, maintenance, fuel, and driver expenses squarely on the shoulders of private operators.
With a fleet of over 3,100 buses, it transports more than 30 lakh passengers each day between Mumbai and the nearby towns of Thane, Navi Mumbai, and Mira-Bhayander. The public transportation company possesses 1,340 of them.
