Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Jan 18: Bus services in Mumbai faced major disruptions for the second consecutive day on Saturday, leaving thousands of commuters stranded. The disruptions came after over 100 bus drivers went on strike, demanding payment of their pending overtime salaries.

The strike, which began on Friday, involved at least 120 drivers employed by Maurya Trans-India, a subcontractor for Olectra Greentech, which supplies e-buses to BEST. The drivers gathered at the Kala Kila bus depot in Dharavi and staged a sit-in protest, demanding the release of their pending overtime salaries for December 2024.

On Friday, a group of 30 drivers had initially stopped their operations at 6:30 am, citing the same demands for overdue overtime payments. The outstanding dues were cleared by 10:00 am, and normal services resumed within an hour.

However, the disruption marked the second instance this week where BEST services were heavily affected. On Monday, around 210 buses operated by the Mateshwari Urban Transport, a wet-lease contractor, halted their operations for nearly five hours in protest against the alleged mistreatment of a pregnant bus conductor by her superior. The incident prompted a police complaint at the Wadala TT police station.

Commuters have expressed frustration over the recurring service disruptions, with one commuter, Anil Nair, emphasizing the need for BEST to better monitor contractor payments to avoid such strikes and the subsequent inconvenience to passengers.

The BEST administration has faced significant criticism for its handling of these issues, with many calling for quicker resolutions to prevent further disruptions.