Vasai-Virar Bus Services Come To A Halt As Drivers, Conductors Protest Half-Pay Ahead Of Ganeshotsav

Vasai: With the Ganeshotsav festival right around the corner, public transport in Vasai-Virar has come to a complete standstill. Drivers and conductors of the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVMC) transport service launched an abrupt work stoppage on Saturday, protesting against contractors for releasing only half their monthly wages despite full-time work.

​The sudden strike left thousands of commuters stranded, including festival shoppers, school children, senior citizens, and daily officegoers.

​120 buses total (including 40 electric buses)

2,200 daily trips across 38 routes

60,000 to 65,000 daily passengers ​Commuters affected

Entire fleet off the roads; passengers forced to rely on auto-rickshaws and private vehicles at inflated hassle.

​This marks the second major disruption in recent weeks. Drivers and conductors had previously gone on strike on August 11 over wage hikes and operational demands, calling off the protest only after receiving assurances from officials.

Protesting employees expressed severe frustration over receiving reduced pay right before a major festival. "We work the entire month, and our families have expenses during festival season. How are we expected to run our households on half-pay?" asked an angry worker.

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​Dhairyashil Jadhav (Transport Manager): "Efforts are underway to restore bus services as quickly as possible. We have ordered the contractor concerned to address the workers' demands immediately and resolve the deadlock."

​kiran sherekar (depot manager) "A financial crunch arose because pending dues for various schemes haven't been cleared by the Municipal Corporation yet. Nevertheless, partial wages were disbursed, and we are actively speaking with employees to find a resolution."

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