This came close on the heels of the overall fleet being impacted recently due to 280 mini buses being withdrawn from service by Hansa City Bus Service a private contractor, who has notified BEST regarding “financial issues” leading to the fleet withdrawal. The withdrawal of the red mini-buses has severely impacted commuters in Mumbai’s western suburbs, particularly in areas like Andheri, Jogeshwari, Goregaon, Dindoshi, Oshiwara, and Marol. With these 31-seater buses no longer in service, waiting times at bus stops have increased significantly, and overcrowding on available buses has worsened.Speaking on the matter, BEST spokesperson Sudas Sawant stated, “In a joint meeting, the Hansa officials blamed the misuse of the contracted mini-buses on busy routes, contributing to their early breakdown, as the mini-buses were meant to ply on small feeder routes and hence showed the inability to execute this contract further. Hence, legal proceedings regarding the termination of the contract will be initiated shortly.”

“This is yet another failure of the public-private partnership model adopted by BEST. With over 280 buses now off the roads, the total fleet has dropped below 3,000, straining a system responsible for handling 45 million passengers daily across Mumbai. My heart goes out to the BEST workers who will lose jobs after the termination, ” said Suhas Samant, Head of the BEST Workers’ Union.

Prior to Diwali, BEST employees have historically earned bonuses since 1970–71; however, this year, no incentives were given out. In a letter to Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagare, BEST Workers Union General Secretary Shashank Rao demanded an investigation into the delay and responsibility for the issue.On Tuesday, the matter was resolved within a couple of hours, and the buses resumed operations, an official confirmed, noting that several unions have been invited to a discussion with the BEST management regarding their various pending demands on Monday.Union leader Suhas Samant stated that attempts by a faction of drivers to halt services on Sunday were “unsuccessful.” “They have also called for a protest on Monday morning, but we shall ensure buses operate at full capacity. We shall give the BEST management an opportunity to address our concerns at Monday’s meeting,” he added. BEST Workers’ Union leader Shashank Rao clarified that his union was not involved in any protest.

The drivers from the BEST undertaking had a list of demands, including the amalgamation of the BEST budget with the BMC budget and the disbursement of the Diwali bonus. At Magathane, merely 30% of buses were functional early in the morning, but operations normalised after senior officials at the depot resolved the situation, sources at BEST said.

A few other depots, including Backbay and Pratiksha Nagar, also experienced issues with some drivers abstaining from duties after learning about the protest at Magathane, they added.

For the past couple of weeks, commuters have been experiencing long waits at bus stops. On Saturday evening, tourist spots such as Juhu Beach witnessed a huge rush, with many waiting for buses in long queues as there was poor frequency. Irked commuters said to NH “BEST is considered a second lifeline of the city after the Railways which is first; lakhs of Mumbaikars depend on this mode of transport. A sudden strike is not a good thing.”