The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus strike intensified on its third day, Friday. The strike that began on Wednesday in Mumbai has now intensified as six more drivers joined the strike. Now, over 1400 buses are off the road owing to the strike. The strike is causing a lot of trouble for daily commuters. The drivers of private bus operators had announced this strike.
Mumbai BEST Bus Strike Continues On The Third Day
The Mumbai BEST bus strike was announced by the private bus operators in order to demand a hike in their wages.
A spokesperson of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) said that out of a total of 1671 private buses, over 1400 private buses of the civic transport service did not move from the 20 depots. This includes Worli, Shivaji Nagar, Deonar, Colaba, Majas, Ghatkopar, Santacruz, Oshiwara, Mulund, and Magathane.
The strike has been joined by six more drivers. BEST’s four big private bus operators’ majority of drivers, SMT, Tata Motors, Mateshwari, and Hansa, joined the same On Thursday, about 1000 buses did not leave the depot, while on Friday, over 1400 buses stayed off the road.
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Wet Lease Model
There are buses hired by BEST on a wet lease model. This means that vehicle ownership, fuel, driver costs, and maintenance are all the responsibility of the private operators.
The drivers began this strike as a protest against their inadequate salary hikes in the last three years. This has been the reason they have not been able to manage their household expenses.
The salaries of the private drivers are way lower than those of the BEST employees. The private operators have been asked by BEST to resolve their issues as quickly as possible.
They have also threatened to take necessary actions against them. This takes the terms and conditions of the lease agreement into consideration.
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