The airconditioned buses (AC) that Mumbaikars loved may be back in three months’ time, although the sweltering summer heat has made an exit. If everything goes as per plan, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking may include the first lot of wet-leased AC and non-AC buses in its fleet by then.
BEST has given a work order for hiring 450 buses on wet lease, which includes 200 mini non-AC, 200 mini AC and 100 non-AC midi buses. The supply order for these is equally divided between two private contractors — Anthony Garages and Shri Krupa Services Private Limited.
The development comes less than 24 hours after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the BEST Workers Union.
BEST spokesperson Balasaheb Zodge said the first lot of 25% buses will be supplied within three months. The remaining 50% will be supplied in the fourth month and the last 25% in the fifth month. “All 450 buses hired on wet lease will run on diesel,” he said.
Before these buses, BEST was set to get 80 wet leased electric buses (e-buses), which it will procure on a joint ownership model. It will also be getting a subsidy of ₹54 crore from the Union government. According to BEST officials, they expect to get the first lot of 20 e-buses by the end of June and the remaining within the next three months.
In a wet lease model, BEST will only have its conductor on the buses, while the private contractor will own and maintain the buses and provide the driver. Labour unions had challenged the wet leasing decision in the labour court, saying the move would lead to retrenchment of staff and privatise the undertaking.
The MoU ended the months-long deadlock over wet leasing of buses as the BEST employees’ union agreed to withdraw its petition in the HC. The administration, too, agreed to maintain the fleet size at 3,337 and not retrench any staff.