Mumbai: How BEST lost the streets

The site of the accident involving an out-of-control BEST bus in which seven lives were lost at Kurla on Dec 9. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) seems to be on the path of self-destruction, with its buses slowly turning into something akin to Delhi's killer Blueline ones. Amidst an astronomical rise in wet-lease buses, discipline and safety have gone for a toss. In the past five years, the BEST has scrapped 2,160 buses, procuring only 37 for its own fleet. Data obtained by RTI activist Jeetendra Ghadge from the Young Whistleblowers Foundation sheds light on how the city's iconic mode of public transport has been on the decline.

The rest of all the new buses in the fleet belong to wet-lease contractors with the BEST having no hold on them, leading to a lack of discipline and a rise in accidents. Trade unions have now called for the complete withdrawal of the wet-lease policy. The BEST has a total of 7212 bus drivers and 7,423 conductors of which 6,563 drivers and 2,340 conductors are attached to wet-lease contractors.

The BEST bus responsible for running over a pedestrian near CSMT on Wednesday. Pic/Shadab Khan

"When we gave consent for the wet-leasing of buses, there were certain mandatory clauses. The deal was that at any point in time, the BEST must have a 3,337-strong fleet of self-owned buses. For every bus scrapped, the BMC must fund a new one. This MoU was backed by BMC with a signed document," BEST Workers' Union general secretary Shashank Sharad Rao told mid-day.

"Today, the fleet is declining every day and if this situation continues, there will be zero self-owned buses by 2027. Since there are no new buses on the way, there is stagnancy among employees, too. There are no employee benefits happening, no promotions, no vacancies being filled up," he said. "Wet-lease contractors do not follow rules, and no proper training is provided to workers. The buses are not maintained as per standards, making BEST bus travel insecure and life-threatening for Mumbaikars," he added.

Rise and fall

As per the data available, the number of accidents of wet-leased buses has shot up from 13 in 2023-2024 to 79 in 2024-2025 (to date) as compared to that of BEST's self-owned buses over the years, where the number of accidents has been 55 in 2023-2024 to 27 in 2024-2025 (till date). No doubt, the number of accidents has increased along with that of wet-leased buses, but the mishap number has seen a significant jump.

"The reason for growing accidents is also wet-lease drivers. Many accidents in Mumbai are being caused by ill-trained bus drivers, often working under the pressure of contractual employment. To reduce such incidents, it is crucial to employ skilled and properly trained drivers with job security, ensuring safer roads for everyone," alleged activist Jeetendra Ghadge from Young Whistleblowers Foundation, said. Ghadge's findings revealed that over the past five years, BEST has scrapped 2,160 buses while acquiring only 37 new ones.

"The BEST undertaking, once the backbone of Mumbai's public transport system, is grappling with a serious crisis due to severe mismanagement. The number of buses on the streets has dwindled drastically, forcing citizens to endure overcrowded buses, long waiting times and a decline in the overall quality of service. By August 2024, only 1,061 BEST-owned buses were in operation. The situation is alarming given that there are 2,126 wet-leased buses in the entire fleet, Ghadge said.

Commuter exasperation

The shortage of buses has led to growing frustration among commuters. Viral videos in recent weeks have shown long queues at bus stops, with hundreds of passengers waiting for buses that either do not arrive or are too overcrowded to accommodate them. mid-day reported earlier this week how the undertaking had been forced to shut down one route after another due to a shortage of buses.

"We do not want BEST buses to turn into Delhi's Blueline buses, which received the tag of killer buses. The BEST must do away with the wet-lease model and instil a sense of discipline in drivers," Ravi Raja former committee member, BEST, said. "We had warned the BEST to improve the situation; otherwise, it would be detrimental to the undertaking. We cannot leave Mumbaikars in such untrained hands. The BEST should learn a lesson from this and work on improving the services," Sunil Ganacharya, another former committee member, said.

BEST General Manager Anil Diggikar said a committee had been set up to look into all aspects, including the wet-lease model and the drivers' training period could be increased if required. "Currently wet-lease drivers receive 15 days' training. Depending on the committee report, we will take a call if there is a need to extend the period."

Resume bus services: Activist

Meanwhile, operations did not resume on bus routes from Kurla station for the second consecutive day after the Kurla tragedy, forcing crowds of officegoers to take autos or walk up to Buddha Colony or Kurla depot. "After the bus accident, citizens have been facing major problems regarding bus services, which were stopped at Kurla station on Tuesday and Wednesday. Currently, the bus service is running only up to Kurla depot.

Due to this, passengers are facing difficulties in their daily journey. I have requested Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the BEST administration to restore the bus services immediately," activist Anil Galgali said. Meanwhile, Olectra Greentech Ltd, the company involved in the bus accident, issued a statement, saying, "We are aware about the tragic incident in Mumbai related to our bus. We are investigating the matter with relevant authorities and co-operating with the local agencies."