Pandal installations disrupt Mumbai's BEST bus routes, causing delays for commuters during festivals. Routes diverted and curtailed due to grand celebrations.
Best Buses: The BEST undertaking, which provides public bus services in Mumbai and neighbouring areas, has hired more than 1,600 buses from seven contractors on a wet lease model, under which the vehicle ownership, maintenance, fuel and driver costs are the responsibility of the private operator.
Private bus operators strike in BEST has been called off after Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assured the employees of fulfilling their demands, including a salary hike. The agitating contractual staffers had gone on strike for seven days, with 551 out of 1,600 buses leased by BEST taken off roads.
Mumbai Bus Services: The buses leased by BEST from the private firm SMT, also known as Daga Group, were the worst affected on the second day; 473 of its 579 buses remained off the roads. In addition, 369 of 400 buses of Mateshwari, 155 of 340 buses of Tata Motors and 12 of 280 buses of Hansa stayed inside the depots. The drivers of the buses of other private operators, namely Olectra, E-Trans and Switch Mobility, did not take part in the strike.