BEST bus users faced hardship due to low bus turnout from Sunday to Tuesday, as around 60 agitated drivers of wet lease buses at Wadala bus depot were not available.

However, BEST officials have resolved the issue by penalising the contractors responsible for the losses due to the strike. Reportedly, the contractor has confirmed to run all buses as per schedule from today.

Drivers of the wet lease buses had started protesting on Sunday. Following this, 43 buses did not leave the Wadala bus depot. Agitated drivers claim that they were not getting their salary on time and the provident fund of some drivers has also not been deposited in the last few months.

Reportedly, the contractor will be fined ₹5,000 for every bus that did not function, adding up to the total fine of ₹3 lacs. BEST ferries more than 30 lakh travellers daily with a fleet of nearly 3,500 buses. This entails buses hired through private contractors on a wet lease basis.

What are wet lease buses?

A wet lease basically applies to buses which are not owned by BEST, the organisation pays the contractors who operate the buses, drivers and conductors.

In an effort to offer convenience to the commuters, BEST operated 23 additional buses from the depot on Monday. Mumbaikers were seen complaining about overcrowded buses during the morning peak hours near Parel and had to wait for around 30 minutes for buses to arrive.