Mumbai: Strike by drivers of private operators hired by BEST enters 7th day; 551 buses remain off roads

Mumbai: Drivers of buses wet-leased by Mumbai's civic transport utility BEST continued their strike for the seventh day on Tuesday and 551 of these more than 1,600 buses remained off roads in the morning, officials said.

While citizens continued to face hardships, drivers of the private bus operators stuck to their protest over the demand for salary hike and pay parity with BEST employees.

Notably, Mumbai guardian minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha on Monday said the affected BEST bus services will be restored in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Commuters have been facing a tough time due to the strike. As the number of buses plying on roads has reduced, the service frequency has been affected, resulting in the buses which are operating being overcrowded.

Some commuters also complained they were facing difficulty in getting auto-rickshaws and taxis to reach their destinations.

Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) spokesperson Sunil Vaidya said the public transport body operated 645 wet- leased buses with its own drivers on various routes, along with operating around 1,390 of its own buses.

The state-owned Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) operated 210 buses from different depots of the BEST to avoid inconvenience to the commuters, he said.

Majority of the drivers of seven private bus operators that have leased their buses to the BEST have been on strike since August 2 over salary hike and other demands, including free ride on BEST buses.

Meanwhile, a group of protesting employees of private bus operators contracted by BEST undertaking has sought permanent jobs in the civic-run transporter.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, they said those who cannot be absorbed permanently must be taken on a contract and demanded "equal remuneration" as BEST employees due to "equal work" they were putting in.

They also said they will not call off the strike without a dialogue with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as they believe the CM would fulfil their demand.

Vaidya said the operators of the wet-leased buses have been asked to sort out the issues as fast as possible by negotiating with their employees.

Also, the BEST is taking action against the bus operators as per the terms and conditions in the agreements with them.

Amid the strike, the state government last week permitted all public service vehicles, including taxis, auto-rickshaws and school buses, to carry out stage carriage operation, as part of which they they can pick up and drop passengers multiple times.

The BEST undertaking, which provides public bus services in Mumbai and neighbouring areas, has hired more than 1,600 buses from some contractors on a wet lease model, under which the vehicle ownership, maintenance, fuel and driver costs are the responsibility of the private operator.

The public transport body ferries more than 30 lakh commuters on its buses in Mumbai and neighbouring Thane, Navi Mumbai and Mira-Bhayander cities with its fleet of more than 3,100 buses, of which it owns less than 1,400 buses.