BEST Bus Services Partially Affected Post-Strike As 15-20% Buses And Staff Yet To Return To Work

Mumbai: BEST bus services remained partially affected on Monday, a day after the three-day employees’ strike was called off, with nearly 15-20 per cent of buses and operating staff yet to return to work. While services improved across the city compared to the weekend shutdown, officials said the transport network was still operating below normal levels.

Bus Deployment Data

According to data released by BEST, 940 buses were on the road by 6 pm against the scheduled 1,092 buses. Attendance among operating staff also remained lower than required. A total of 11,803 drivers reported for duty against a scheduled strength of 16,672, while 16,930 conductors were present against the expected 23,111. Attendance among bus starters and inspectors also remained below normal.

The impact was more visible in the wet-lease fleet, which forms the backbone of BEST’s operations. Out of 2,517 scheduled wet-lease buses, only 1,719 were operational by evening. Driver attendance stood at 2,450 against a requirement of 5,282, while only 673 conductors reported for duty against a scheduled strength of 1,789.

Bus Deployment Data

Union leaders said the slow recovery was expected after a prolonged strike. “After a strike of this scale, it generally takes a day or two for all employees to resume duties and operations to stabilise,” union representatives said.

The strike was withdrawn late on Sunday following a meeting between Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and representatives of the BEST unions. During the discussions, the government reportedly assured workers that the process of merging the BEST budget with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was underway. The government also promised the absorption of wet-lease employees and the induction of 5,000 electric buses into the fleet.

Later, union leaders briefed workers at a meeting in Parel. Uday Ambonkar, convenor of the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, said the government had accepted several key demands raised by employees.

The strike, which began on Friday, had crippled Mumbai’s bus network and left lakhs of commuters struggling. On Saturday, services came to a near-complete halt, forcing passengers to rely on overcrowded suburban trains, autorickshaws and app-based taxis. Although buses have started returning to the roads, commuters are likely to face some disruption until full staffing levels are restored.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/