MUMBAI | Mumbai's public transport network faced major disruption after employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking began an indefinite strike, leaving thousands of commuters scrambling for alternatives and testing the city's dependence on buses for last-mile connectivity.
The Indian Express reported that only 32 buses were operating on city roads Thursday morning compared with the usual turnout of thousands. Six buses that initially left depots were forced to return after reports of stone-pelting. Mumbai Police warned protesters against damaging BEST buses or depot property and said legal action would follow vandalism or violence.
The disruption hit more than ordinary bus routes. BEST buses connect residential neighborhoods to railway stations, metro corridors, business districts and public institutions. The strike also coincided with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority's Public Transport Day initiative at Bandra-Kurla Complex, where BEST normally operates 976 bus trips through 125 buses on 16 routes daily.
The labor action was called by the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, a joint action committee of 12 unions. The unions' demands include merging BEST's C budget with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's main A budget, lump-sum payment of pending legal dues to retired employees, reducing dependence on contractual operators, and absorbing wet-lease workers into the undertaking's workforce.
The strike continued despite an interim industrial-court order restraining employees and wet-lease workers from proceeding. The state government also invoked the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act, classifying BEST transport and electricity services as essential and prohibiting participation in the strike. That legal pressure may shape how long the action can continue and how aggressively authorities respond.
The scale of the system explains the stakes. Indian Express reported that BEST operates 2,766 buses on 399 routes daily and serves nearly 25 lakh passengers. Its electricity division also supplies power to around 11 lakh consumers across South and Central Mumbai. Even when the main effect is felt in buses, the institution's dual transport-and-electricity role makes the strike a civic-services issue.
For commuters, the immediate advice is practical: check route status before leaving, expect crowding on the metro and suburban rail, budget extra time and avoid depots or protest sites where tensions may rise. For the city, the deeper issue is whether Mumbai can resolve worker grievances without repeatedly pushing passengers into crisis.
Additional Reporting By: The Indian Express; The New Indian Express; Economic Times; CGN News Mumbai Bureau.