Will need 50% fare hike to meet workers’ demand: BEST management

MUMBAI: As the BEST strike enters its fifth day on Saturday, the longest in recent memory, the management on Friday said the only way to fulfill demands of the BEST Workers Union is to hike bus fares by a hefty 50%, a solution that is unlikely to be accepted by the government in an election year.



As commuters continued to suffer, the Bombay high court stepped in on Friday and advised the union to “take the first step” and create an atmosphere conducive for talks with the state government to end the deadlock. However, union leader Shashank Rao has refused to relent.



After talks with officials of the BMC, which oversees the running of the utility, failed to result in a breakthrough, as did mediation by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, whose party controls the BMC, Rao is now scheduled to meet a state-level panel headed by chief secretary D K Jain at Mantralaya at 11am on Saturday. “The government should intervene and look into our demands. We hope that there will be some solution in Saturday’s meeting,” Rao told TOI.

The civic administration has so far held its ground and baulked at the union’s suggestion to merge the BEST’s budget with the BMC’s. In the absence of state or BMC assistance, meeting all the demands of the union would create an additional financial burden of Rs 540 crore on the transport utility. This would in turn necessitate a hike in minimum fare from Rs 8 to Rs 12. The proposal has been forwarded by the BEST administration to BMC and government, but sources said it is likely to be rejected as the government would not like to burden passengers in an election year.

The union has demanded gradation in pay hike and a new wage agreement, but officials said it would further sink the financially-crippled institution. “To recover this money (Rs 540 crore), we will be left with no option but to hike fares,” said BEST general manager Surendrakumar Bagde. BEST officials said if fares are increased, daily ridership will dip further. Passenger traffic on BEST has fallen to around 25 lakh passengers a day from almost 50 lakh some years ago.

Transport experts have suggested that the way out would be for the government to concede to some of the demands and for the union to back a set of reforms that may help BEST to cut its losses and run a more efficient fleet. On Friday, after it was directed by the high court, the chief secretary met secretaries of the transport and urban development departments and the BEST GM to look at possible solutions. However, the meeting was brief as the union members said that they would first hold a meeting among themselves and then hold discussions with the government on Saturday morning.

(With inputs by Shibu Thomas)