A BEST official said that a total of 201 bus services were cancelled from Wadala, Bandra, Kurla and Vikroli bus depots. (File Photo) Thousands of commuters in Mumbai suffered on Friday morning as over 170 mini buses operated by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) remained off roads in the city following a flash strike by a section of drivers over nonpayment of salary issue.
The BEST had to divert the buses from other depots in the affected depots till the strike ended around 5pm on Friday.
The bus drivers are employed by a private company called MP group which runs the buses for the BESR on a wet lease
basis. A BEST official said that a total of 201 bus services were cancelled from Wadala, Bandra, Kurla and Vikroli bus depots. Thousands of daily commuters traveling on this route suffered due to the strike.
The staffers staged protest claiming that they didn’t get salary of past three months from the private company.
According to BEST officials, they have taken midi and minibuses on a wet lease basis and around 170 buses are operated by the private company called MP Group. However, the staffers alleged that the company has not paid their salaries for the past two-three months.
Owing to the non-payment of the salaries, the staffers staged a flash strike on Friday.
“To avoid inconvenience to the passengers, BEST launched its own 86 buses from other routes as well as from other depots. Appropriate action will be taken against the said contractor according to the terms and conditions of the contract,” said an official, adding that the strike ended after the intervention of the company officials around 5 pm.
The BEST union leaders blamed it on the policy of privatisation of BEST.
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