6 hours Ago By Mid-day
The BEST bus drivers and conductors of the wetlease company went on a flash strike at Wadala depot on Tuesday morning."Today, the bus drivers and conductors of the Mateshwari Company, a private contractor company in the BEST initiative, have called a strike for their various demands. According to the information received, the wet lease bus drivers and conductors of the said company have damaged some buses coming out of the depot in Wadala," a BEST official said.
Under the wet lease model, private operators take care of the maintenance of buses and the salaries of drivers.In January, the contractual employees of a private operator hired by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking went on a flash strike at one of the depots in Mumbai early Monday morning, partially affecting the BEST bus services.BEST going through worst crisis, has less than 3000 buses on roadsThe deteriorating Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has been facing a severe crisis and progressively shutting down its key and important bus routes as the undertaking is falling short of buses.
The bus routes started declining in the third decade of the 21st century starting in 2021.At one point, the BEST had a fleet of nearly 3600 self-owned buses operating about 500 bus routes. Today the number of routes has come down to 300/350 with a bus fleet of 2,911 buses with only about 1,000 or so being self-owned ones.
While its own fleet is just about 1,000 buses, the rest of the buses are operated on a wet lease. The situation worsened after a wet lease supplier withdrew 280 buses from service in October this year.Here are a few key popular bus routes that have been shut in the last few years.
Routes discontinuedBus Route No. 1, connecting Bandra Reclamation to RC Church, was discontinued in mid-2023. Travellers now need to switch between three buses to cover the same route.
The only remaining long-route bus in the area is C1, operating from Colaba Depot to Santacruz Depot (West).Bus Route No. 180, running from Malwani Depot to the international airport, was a popular service from 2007 to 2014, jointly operated by Dharavi and Malwani depots.
This route uniquely connected Link Road, SV Road, Western Express Highway, LBS Road, and Eastern Express Highway.Route No. 306, from Mulund to Santacruz, was another essential service.
Passing through Mumbai University, it was crucial for staff and students traveling to Kurla and Santacruz. Similarly, Route No. 166 connected hospitals, residential areas, and railway stations, aiding Girangaon residents, while Route No.
70 linked Tulsi Pipe Road to other parts of the city. Lastly, Route No. 506L initially ran from Jijamata Udyan to Nerul.
It was cut back to Deonar in 2021 and fully suspended in mid-2023..
