Public bus services across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) continued to face major disruptions on Saturday as the indefinite strike by employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking entered its second day, severely impacting daily commuters.
According to BEST officials, only four wet-lease buses were operational on Saturday morning, compared to the scheduled deployment of 2,767 buses. Although 246 BEST-owned buses had been assigned for service, none were able to leave depots as employees participating in the strike refused to report for operational duties.
The low level of operations persisted despite 192 BEST personnel, including inspectors, starters, drivers and conductors, along with eight wet-lease bus drivers, reporting for work. Efforts by depot managers to persuade workers to resume duties reportedly yielded little response.
The strike, called by the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti—a joint action committee representing 12 unions—began shortly after midnight on Thursday following unsuccessful negotiations with the administration. Workers have raised several demands, including the merger of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) ‘C’ budget allocated to BEST with the civic body’s main ‘A’ budget, settlement of pending legal dues for retired employees, reduced dependence on contractual bus operators, and the regularisation of wet-lease staff.
The disruption has left thousands of commuters scrambling for alternative transport. Many passengers relied on auto-rickshaws, taxis and app-based cab services, while long queues were reported at key transit points. Several commuters, unaware of the strike, were left stranded at bus stops across the city.
Outside Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Navi Mumbai resident Ruksana said, “I had come to explore the iconic South Mumbai area with my daughter, but had no idea that bus services had been suspended in the city.”
Despite a meeting between union leaders, State Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik and senior officials, the strike remains unresolved. “BEST remains the lifeline of Mumbai with over 30 lakh passengers relying on the service daily. A strike by the organisation’s 48,000 workers could cause immense hardship to students, office-goers, senior citizens and other commuters,” Sarnaik said.
However, union leaders remain unconvinced. “The agitation continues as no concrete decision has been taken by the administration,” said Uday Ambonkar, general secretary of the BEST Karmachari Sena. While bus services remain crippled, BEST has confirmed that electricity distribution operations across Mumbai continue without interruption.
Source: The Indian Express
