Mumbai BEST Bus Strike Enters Day 2; Lakhs Of Commuters Hit As Services Remain Largely Paralysed

Mumbai: Mumbai is likely to face another day of major commuting chaos on Saturday as the indefinite strike by employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking continues, with no breakthrough yet in talks between unions and the administration.

The strike, which began on Friday, brought the city’s civic-run bus services close to a complete halt, severely affecting lakhs of daily commuters who rely on BEST buses for travel across Mumbai.

According to a PTI report, union leaders said discussions with the state government and BEST administration failed to produce any concrete assurance on their long-pending demands, forcing employees to continue the agitation.

BEST, which normally transports nearly 25 lakh passengers every day, saw only a tiny fraction of its fleet operating on Friday. Out of the undertaking’s 2,766 buses, only 48 remained functional during the day.

The shutdown caused widespread disruption across Mumbai, with commuters scrambling for alternative transport options. Suburban trains, Metro services, taxis, autorickshaws and app-based cabs witnessed massive crowds and long waiting times throughout the day. Several buses that initially left depots were reportedly forced to return after incidents of obstruction and stone-pelting allegedly involving striking workers.

Metro Ridership Surges

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation also reported a sharp jump in passenger traffic. The underground Colaba-BKC-Aarey JVLR Metro corridor recorded over 2.17 lakh commuters by Friday night, compared to around 1.51 lakh passengers the previous day. Other Metro routes too witnessed a significant rise in ridership.

Union representatives maintained that the protest would continue until authorities addressed their pending demands. Uday Ambonkar, convenor of the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, said employees had no option but to intensify the agitation as no firm decisions had been taken by the administration.

Workers Press Long-Pending Demands

The workers are demanding the merger of BEST’s budget with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), implementation of Seventh Pay Commission benefits from 2016 to 2026, payment of pending legal dues to retired employees, an end to contractual recruitment and absorption of wet-lease bus workers into the regular BEST workforce.

Shiv Sena UBT leader and Joint Action Committee coordinator Sachin Ahir apologised to Mumbaikars for the inconvenience caused due to the strike, but said the agitation was necessary to protect the future of the BEST undertaking.

He also urged the Maharashtra government to resolve the issue urgently instead of prolonging the standoff. Ahir additionally suggested that Mumbai could explore free public bus transport services similar to those available in Luxembourg.

Government Seeks Resolution

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik appealed to employees to withdraw the strike in the larger public interest, warning that the indefinite shutdown was severely impacting commuters across the city.

Following meetings with union representatives, Sarnaik said he had directed BEST General Manager Sonia Sethi to address issues that could be resolved internally. He also instructed Urban Transport Department Secretary Aseem Gupta to review the long-pending proposal to merge BEST with the BMC and submit a report within eight to ten days.

According to the minister, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to chair a high-level meeting with deputy chief ministers and senior officials after the report is submitted to take a final decision on the matter.

Despite legal restrictions, the strike has continued. An industrial court had earlier passed an interim order restraining employees from striking, while the Maharashtra government invoked the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA), which prohibits disruption of essential public services. However, the agitation proceeded regardless, leaving Mumbai’s transport network under severe strain for a second consecutive day.

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