As a result, each of the 26,000 BEST employees will now receive a bonus of ₹29,000, providing much-needed relief and assurance to the staff. However, due to the ongoing election code of conduct, BEST officials will first seek formal permission from the Election Commission before transferring the bonus amounts into employees’ bank accounts. BEST Union leader Shashank Rao emphasised that this move was essential, and that the situation could have been handled proactively to avoid service disruptions.

Widespread operational disruptions across Mumbai amid protests

As per various media reports, the strike severely disrupted Mumbai’s public transportation as BEST services halted at the Magathane depot and saw reduced operations at several others. On Bhai Dooj, which was celebrated on November 3, commuters in the city’s western suburbs, particularly around Borivali, faced extended delays and service gaps, causing major inconvenience for the 33 lakh Mumbaikars who rely on BEST buses daily. Passengers, especially office-goers and tourists, were left stranded or experienced prolonged waits at bus stops.

While BEST employees gained the support of some commuters who sympathised with their demand for timely bonuses, others voiced concerns over the timing of the strike. The disruption also triggered debate over the BMC’s management of the BEST Undertaking, as the unrest coincided with upcoming state assembly elections, giving rise to political scrutiny over the handling of BEST’s finances and fleet management.

Ongoing fleet shortages exacerbate challenges for BEST

Beyond employee unrest, the BEST administration is grappling with a severe fleet crisis, with bus numbers falling to below 3,000. As per a report of Times of India, the existing fleet shortage was worsened by delays in bus deliveries from contractors, who were previously supposed to deliver new vehicles as part of fleet expansion plans. Additionally, as per Mid-day, around 280 mini-buses were pulled from operation in October due to disputes with contractors, further straining service capacity and leaving commuters with fewer options.

BEST General Manager Anil Diggikar, while speaking to the TOI, acknowledged the challenges and organised an urgent meeting to address the workforce demands and fleet gaps. Following the strike, Diggikar provided that he was able to secure BMC’s approval of ₹80 crore to cover the Diwali bonus, assuring employees of timely payouts. However, Diggikar warned contractors of penalties if the delivery of new buses is not expedited. He confirmed that BEST expects the arrival of 80 electric air-conditioned (AC) buses by month-end and around 160 more by year-end, to increase the fleet’s capacity and meet peak-hour demand in busy routes. BEST has also planned to introduce open-deck double-decker tourist buses along popular routes like Marine Drive and the Fort area to cater to high weekend demand.

Bombay High Court ruling favours contractor in wet lease dispute with BEST

Amid fleet shortages, BEST’s operational capacity took another hit following a legal ruling that forced it to relinquish control of 250 mini-buses owned by contractor Hansa City Bus Services. The contractor, which had been operating buses for BEST under a wet lease agreement, terminated its contract in early October over unpaid dues amounting to ₹90 crore. The dispute escalated when Hansa City demanded the return of 250 AC buses but was initially prevented by BEST’s security personnel. BEST argued that the buses were critical for daily services, while Hansa cited high maintenance costs, increased fuel expenses, and additional overheads as factors in their decision to end the contract.

On November 2, the Bombay High Court ruled in favour of Hansa City, allowing the company to reclaim the buses parked at BEST depots. The court also appointed an arbitrator to settle outstanding issues between the parties. The ruling further reduced BEST’s fleet by 9% and exacerbated service gaps across the city. Nonetheless, the court ordered BEST to issue a show-cause notice if they wished to blacklist the contractor, underscoring the need for due process.

Calls for public ownership and investments in Mumbai’s bus fleet

The challenges facing BEST have sparked public debate over the future of Mumbai’s iconic bus service. Although daily ridership remains high at 33 lakhs as per the TOI, the fleet is far from adequate to meet the demands of a city nearing 20 million residents. TOI report provide that experts recommend a fleet size of 10,000 buses, but with only about 1,000 BEST-owned buses and close to 2,000 leased buses, the service is struggling to keep up. Transport advocates argue that the reliance on leased buses has led to a decline in service quality, citing frequent breakdowns, battery issues in electric buses, and untrained contract drivers as ongoing concerns.

Public groups, including the Aamchi Mumbai, Aamchi BEST forum, have voiced their opposition to privatisation efforts, demanding a full fleet of BEST-owned buses. They argue that BEST should operate as a “public-owned enterprise” to ensure affordability, reliability, and efficiency for all citizens. Activists like Vidyadhar Date and the Mumbai Mobility Forum have called on the BMC to immediately allocate funds for the purchase of 3,000 additional buses, emphasising that such investments are critical to maintaining the socio-economic backbone of the city.

The TOI report further provides that commuter advocates also highlight the affordability BEST offers, with minimum fares starting at just ₹5 for a 5-kilometer ride. They point out that daily commuters collectively save over ₹3 crore by choosing BEST, underlining the need for continued government support to maintain and expand the service. BEST General Manager Diggikar echoed these concerns, stressing the urgency of expanding the fleet to reduce waiting times, particularly during peak hours. He assured that BEST was pursuing all possible measures to reduce commuter inconvenience, with an anticipated delivery of 80 new buses by the end of the month.

A turning point for Mumbai’s public transport system?

With growing public support for BEST employees’ rights and mounting frustrations among commuters, the current challenges highlight the critical role of public investment in urban transit. As union leaders, officials, and commuter advocates call for structural reforms, the need for a reliable, publicly-owned BEST fleet has never been clearer. By addressing the immediate issues of fleet expansion, employee satisfaction, and commuter convenience, BEST can restore confidence in its role as an essential public service in Mumbai. Activists and citizens alike hope that the administration will prioritise investment in the city’s “second lifeline,” ensuring that BEST can meet the evolving needs of this city.

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A part of the frontline group battling the Covid-19 crisis, bus drivers in Maharashtra have been toiling day and night, ferrying essential services workers to their destinations and back home safely. However, the irony is that these drivers are themselves left out of the gamut of safety protocols with not all of them being given Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect themselves from the infection.

In light of this, the BEST (Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport) Workers’ Union, the BEST Sanyukta Kamgar Kruti Samiti (BSKKS), the biggest union in the transport undertaking, has given a call to 40,000 staffers to ‘Stay Home’ from Monday if the administration does not accept its demands, which include gear like PPE kits, masks, sanitizers and gloves for drivers and conductors, proper quarantine and hospital facilities and Rs. 1 crore medical cover for employees and their families, reported The Times of India.

Workers’ union leader Shashank Rao said that the union had repeatedly been demanding protection for workers who were exposed to the virus and alleged that the administration had done nothing to address the matter. He said, “We have waited for long and now we want all workers to be safe and stay home from Monday if the management fails to give us facilities for a safe working environment.”

Hindustan Times reported that as per the ask of BSKKS, BEST administration should provide proper quarantine and hospitalization facilities with proper food, water, medicines, being arranged by the undertaking. BSKKS demands include comprehensive medical insurance of ₹1 crore for employee and their family members, mandatory health check-up of all employees and, a separate dedicated hospital for BEST staff apart from a ‘shaheed’ (martyr) status for those who die on duty.

Currently, the number of BEST employees testing positive for the crisis stands at 98. “Of this, the recovery rate is 38% and no staffer is in ICU,” said BEST chief medical officer, Dr Anil Kumar Singhal. So far, there have been six deaths in the BEST.

However, some officials complain that the move is unwarranted especially because these drivers and conductors are frontline workers. BEST General Manager Surendrakumar Bagde, said, “There are no complaints from staffers who are getting special allowance for Covid duties, proper protection and medical care,” adding that the undertaking will provide face shields to conductors.

A rival union led by Suhas Samant, which claims to have 10,000-15,000 members, said: “We will ensure every staffer is on duty on Monday and the image of the undertaking is not tarnished by such unjusitifed call for a strike…” He also added that his union has also sought from the administration protective gear for drivers and conductors.

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Image Coutesy: Satish Bate/HT Photo

Mumbai: The BEST bus strike has entered its seventh day with over 32,000 BEST employees participating in the strike that has kept 3,200-odd buses off the roads. The Bombay High Court has criticised the workers of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) for continuing their bus strike.
 
Over 300 striking workers were issued notices by the state government under the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) on Wednesday last week, allegedly warning them that they will be removed from their official accommodation if they failed to resume work.
 
The employees have been demanding a merging of the company’s budget with that of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), among other demands.
 
The BEST Sanyukta Kamgar Kruti Samiti, a joint committee of many labour unions, have also demanded to resume appointments, more wages and resolving the concern of employee housing. The Bombay HC said the union was violating its orders and not negotiating appropriately, adding that the strike was inconveniencing the public, ANI reported. The BEST Union told the court that it was forced to remain on strike because the administration was refusing to comply with their demands, the news agency reported.
 
The Maharashtra state unit of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) demanded that the withdrawal of MESMA act against striking BEST employees and instead take steps to respond to the demands and alleviate the employee’s grievances at the earliest.
 
“PUCL Maharashtra learns that the BEST administration has issued eviction notices to striking BEST employees and is already trying to remove them and their families from their homes, on the second day of the indefinite strike called by BEST workers’ unions to press for their demands. Workers and their families cannot be penalised in this inhuman manner for exercising their right to protest and to strike, to press for their legitimate demands. PUCL Maharashtra urges the civic administration to withdraw the notices forthwith,” it said in a statement on January 9.
 
“The strike has been called to demand the merger of the BEST budget with the principal budget of the BMC, in addition to pressing for negotiations with the management on wages, resumption of appointments on compassionate grounds and bonus parity with BMS employees. The BEST Kruti Samiti, which is the umbrella body of all the BEST employees’ unions spearheading the strike, has also expressed fears that the administration is bringing in privatization through the back door and making a vital public transport service unaffordable and unsustainable,” the statement said.
 
PUCL Maharashtra expressed concern at the systematic dismantling of public transport in Mumbai and the destruction of the BEST, which was once Mumbai’s pride. “Alongside, several mega projects have been initiated throughout Maharashtra without any regard for the environmental damage, the loss of livelihood of the fishing community of Mumbai and the high cost of the multi-crore projects, which will ultimately be borne by all citizens. The state government has invested heavily in car-oriented infrastructure, but has systematically starved BEST and refused to invest in bus-based public transport (modernization of buses, integration between modes, dedicated bus lanes, bus depot and bus stops improvement, etc.) which has led to the decline of the service and its ridership. By reducing BEST services and scrapping routes the administration is causing harassment to commuters and residents of Mumbai,” Mihir Desai, Convenor, Ad-Hoc Committee, PUCL said.
 
No negotiations between the BEST union or the civic body have taken place so far, Hindustan Times reported.
 
The Union had said it would take a call on continuing its strike after it studies a panel report on the matter to the Bombay high court on Monday. A three-member panel led by chief secretary DK Jain held two separate meetings with union leaders and the BEST and BMC administration on Saturday. “We have not received any communication from the administration after the meeting,” Shashank Rao, president, BEST workers’ union, had told Hindustan Times.
 
Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST (AMAB) an independent forum of citizens for public transport requested democratic rights organizations, civil society groups, unions, housing and livelihood rights campaigns, and all Mumbaikars, who have been affected as commuters, to extend their support and stand in solidarity with striking workers.
 
“AMAB outlined a workable, inexpensive, and efficient approach for the revival of the BEST’s bus services. We have shown how BEST can (1) Increase bus ridership, (2) Improve BEST’s service quality and reliability, (3) Improve its coverage and access. For almost two years now, we have been asking for an appointment with the Municipal Commissioner Mr. Ajoy Mehta to explain our plan – that includes means of financing operations, subsidies, the introduction of bus priority lanes, integration between different transport modes, the planned expansion of the fleet, etc. However, our repeated requests and proposals have been ignored,” said Vidyadhar Date, Convenor, AMAB.
 
“It is clear that the BMC and the government do not want to hear or consider any sensible means to address the problems of the city’s affordable public transport service. They continue to remain dogmatic, autocratic and tightfisted – pushing through their privatization plans, refusing to subsidize and finance its operations, cutting down routes, increasing bus fares, and denying workers their dues,” he added.
 

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