Normalcy returned to city roads a day after wet lease drivers operating BEST buses called off their strike. Kicking off on August 2 at Ghatkopar and Mulund depots, the strike had gradually spread to all depots across the city and paralysed it for six straight days.
Chief coordinator of the Coordinating Committee of BEST Wet Lease Employees, Vikash Kharmale, confirmed that all employees have resumed their duty. Even though Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has agreed to the drivers’ demands of salary hike and other benefits, the contractors will face fines amounting to nearly Rs3.5 crore.
₹5K fine on per bus per day
A minimum fine of Rs5000 per bus per day has been levied on wet lease bus drivers, along with other charges, including salaries of conductors who were idle due to the reduced bus operations.
Regarding the recovery of fines, a BEST official said that the penalty would be deducted from the charges paid by BEST to bus suppliers. The contractual agreement stipulates that BEST is responsible for the payment of operational charges to wet lease bus suppliers and, in the event of any fines or additional charges, the administration has the authority to deduct them from the operation charges.
30 lakh commuters affected daily
Over 30 lakh daily commuters in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, and Mira-Bhayandar were affected as the BEST fleet comprises 3052 buses, including 1381 owned by BEST and 1671 wet lease contractors.
In the initial days of the strike, many wet lease buses remained off road. However, the BEST administration claimed to have taken mitigating measures by deploying its own 800 excess drivers and seeking help from MSRTC and school buses. Despite these efforts, the strike caused a major setback to the city’s public transport services.
