Mumbai: BEST's private bus operators strike continues on fourth day, commuters hassled

Mumbai: The strike by the drivers of private bus operators hired by the BEST - Mumbai's civic transport utility - over salary hike and other demands entered the fourth day on Saturday with more than 1,000 buses staying off roads, leaving commuters hassled.

Of the total 1,671 private buses of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), 1,077 buses remained stationed at 18 depots, its spokesperson Sunil Vaidya said.

The BEST operates buses from 27 depots across the city.

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) - the state government's bus service operator - chipped in as it ran 104 buses from six depots of the BEST to provide relief to commuters, he said.

The drivers of private bus operators launched the strike on Wednesday over the salary hike and other demands. Majority of drivers of the BEST's four big private bus operators - Mateshwari, SMT (Daga group), Hansa and Tata Motors are part of the strike.

"These private operators have been asked to sort out the issues as early as possible by holding talks with their protesting employees. The BEST is also taking action against the bus operators as per the terms and conditions in the agreements with them," Vaidya said.

The BEST is doing maximum utilisation of its own drivers, who are now deployed on 390 buses of wet leased operators, he added.

On the first day of the stir, only 160 wet leased buses were off roads, while the number went beyond 1,000 on the second day, which further rose to more than 1,300 buses on Friday, causing immense hardships to regular commuters.

The protesting drivers have claimed that they did not get an adequate salary hike in the last three years and find it difficult to manage household expenses. Their salaries are quite low compared to those of BEST employees, they added.

The BEST has hired buses on a wet lease model under which private operators have the responsibility of the vehicle ownership, maintenance, fuel and driver costs.

The undertaking's fleet of around 3,100 buses (including its own 1,340 buses) ferries more than 30 lakh people in Mumbai and neighbouring Thane, Navi Mumbai and Mira-Bhayandar every day.