Mumbai: For the first time in decades, the fleet of BEST-owned buses has dropped below 1,000 to 985, shows data made available on Monday. The strength has declined by 78% from the peak of 4,385 buses in 2010. Wet lease buses now number 1,900. The trend is worrying since a senior official said 700 buses are set to be scrapped over the next 11 months, further downsizing BEST’s own fleet to 285 by the end of 2025.
The undertaking had in the recent past made a proposal to purchase 2,200 buses at Rs 3,400 crore, but the file has been gathering dust in BMC.
As per a 2019 MoU between the management and unions, BEST had committed to maintaining its own fleet at 3,337. This hasn’t happened to date.
BEST Workers’ Union leader Shashank Rao cautioned there could be no BEST-owned fleet by 2026 if new buses are not procured. “This could be catastrophic as the transport body will then rely entirely on contract buses, whose drivers are known for going on flash strikes and holding commuters to ransom. Some wet lease bus drivers were also involved in recent fatal collisions.”
While the overall fleet has dropped under 2,900, BEST is yet to receive delivery of new electric AC buses. BEST general manager Anil Diggikar said he has issued notices to the contractors to expedite deliveries and expects at least 80 new ones to arrive in the next few days. “We are also imposing penalties for the delays.”
To save the fleet, workers’ unions launched a ‘BEST Bachao’ campaign last weekend. “We plan to organise three public meetings soon and engage with citizens to secure support. We will conduct signature campaigns, rallies and public awareness camps to get BEST to increase the strength of its own buses to at least 3,337,” said a union leader.
Former BEST committee member Ravi Raja said the undertaking should maintain a substantial fleet of its own buses and have experienced drivers as the wet lease system has “failed”.
BEST Kamgar Sena, Sena (UBT)’s workers union, on Monday took a delegation to the BMC chief, demanding that funds be released to raise the fleet to 3,337 buses. “The BMC chief assured us that he will form a committee on this issue,” said Suhas Samant from the union. Former BEST panel chief Anil Kokil, who was part of the delegation, sought the CM’s intervention.
Asserting that recent accidents and drivers’ strikes could have been averted had BEST increased its own fleet, Hussain Indorewala from Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST, a citizens’ group, said, “Increasing BEST-owned fleet is in public interest. All recent problems had to do mainly with contract buses being poorly maintained and drivers being untrained.”
