Best Strike

Mumbai's BEST stir to continue as bus staff seek permanent jobs, equal pay

A group of protesting employees of private bus operators contracted by Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking on Monday sought permanent jobs in the civic-run transporter. Addressing a press conference, they said those who cannot be absorbed permanently must be taken on contract, adding that they sought 'samaan kam, samaan dam', or "equal remuneration" as BEST employees due to "equal work" they were putting in. They expressed confidence that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde would fulfil their demand. "Since the past six days, some 7000 to 9000 employees of all private bus operators with BEST have been on strike, which will continue till the demands are met," Vikas Kharmale, coordinator of a newly-formed group of wet-leased bus employees, said at the press conference. Such staffers were distressed since the last four years and the strike is the result of this unrest in their minds, claimed Kharmale, who is an employee of private bus operator Daga ...

796 buses remain off roads as strike by drivers continues in Mumbai

As many as 796 of the more than 1,600 buses wet leased by Mumbai's civic transport utility BEST remained off roads on Monday as drivers of the private bus operators continued their strike for the sixth day over salary hike and other demands, officials said. Sunil Vaidya, spokesperson of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), said the public transport body operated 603 wet leased buses with its own drivers on various bus routes, along with operating around 1,390 of its own buses. The state-owned Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) operated 122 buses from six different depots of the BEST to avoid inconvenience to the commuters, he said. Majority of the drivers of seven private bus operators, that have leased their buses to the BEST, have been on strike since August 2 over salary hike and other demands, including free ride on BEST buses. According to BEST officials, their bus services have been affected due to the ongoing strike. The waiting time for .

Mumbai crackdown against BEST buses concealing reflective tapes under ads

The Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) here have taken action against more than 100 buses of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) for violating rules about reflective tapes, an official said on Tuesday. A drive has been launched against BEST buses for concealing reflective tapes under wraparound advertisements, including those about state government schemes, he said. The RTO at Tardeo has taken action against 89 buses of the public transport body since the crackdown began last week, Bharat Kalaskar, RTO officer of Tardeo, which has jurisdiction of the entire city, told PTI. Ashok Pawar, who is the deputy RTO officer at Borivali and holds additional charge of Andheri RTO in western suburbs, said at least 25 BEST buses were found violating the rule in his jurisdiction. A BEST spokesperson, meanwhile, said a firm called Signpost India Private Limited had been given the contract from June 11, 2022 to June 10, 2027 for advertising on 3,115 buses at a cost of

HC asks BEST workers' union to take final decision on withdrawal of strike

The counsel for BEST, M P Rao, told the bench that the corporation was "open to implementing a 10-step increment" for its employees with effect from February this yea

Mumbai: No end to impasse as BEST bus strike enters 8th day, all eyes on HC

The high court on Monday said it would pass appropriate orders on Tuesday on the BEST bus strike if the union and state authorities failed to end the deadlock

BEST strike Day 7: Thousands affected, pvt cabs get costlier in Mumbai

Mumbai's civic transport, comprising a workforce of 32,000 people, have been demanding the merger of BEST budget with 'A' budget of BMC