A coalition of citizens’ groups and social organizations staged a protest on Friday at the Wadala bus depot of BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport). During the demonstration, they submitted a memorandum to the depot manager, addressed to the General Manager of BEST.
The memorandum, representing the concerns of Mumbaikars, demands that BEST operate at least 6,000 buses owned by the undertaking itself, instead of relying heavily on buses hired on contract. Additionally, the protesters have called for an immediate rollback of the recent fare hike for bus services, the monetization of bus depot lands, and the heavy reliance on the wet lease system.
Copies of the memorandum have also been sent to the BMC Commissioner and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, urging government intervention to preserve and strengthen the public bus service.
Citizens Protest At Wadala Depot | GPlus/Vijay Gohil
The protest reflects growing public dissatisfaction with the shrinking availability of public buses and the increasing reliance on private contractors a shift that, according to citizens, is undermining both service quality and affordability.
“We protested outside the Wadala Bus Depot today along with 12 other organisations on Friday and submitted a list of demands to the depot manager, including the immediate reversal of the fare hike, scrapping the proposal to monetise bus depots, implementation of the February 2024 decision of the BMC Commissioner to transfer Rs 9,000 crore to BEST from the BMC, and an end to wet-leasing in favour of BEST owning and operating at least 6,000 buses,” said Hussain Indorwala, Convenor of the Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST after the protest.
In a strongly worded letter signed by 13 organizations including Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST, Fridays For Future Mumbai, Habitat and Livelihood Welfare Association, Humanist Centre, Jan Haq Sangharsh Samiti, Lokraj Sanghatana, Loktantrik Kamgar Union, Mulbhut Adhikar Sangharsh Samiti, Nagari Niwara Vichar Manch, Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Nivrut Kamgar Sanghatan, Pudhe Chala, and Purogami Mahila Sanghatana — the signatories criticized BEST’s increasing reliance on private contractors and wet-leasing of buses, calling the system an “unqualified disaster” that has resulted in severe service degradation, increased risks to public safety, and declining ridership.
“For decades, the BEST bus service was Mumbai’s lifeline,” the letter reads. “But under the pretext of ‘cutting losses,’ the service is being dismantled, to the detriment of ordinary Mumbaikars especially the poor, elderly, and children.”
The groups raised alarm over rising incidents of bus breakdowns, accidents, and fires allegedly due to poor maintenance by private contractors aiming to cut costs. They pointed to a reported Rs 2,160 crore loss in the transport division in 2022–23 despite privatisation, arguing that outsourcing has worsened both fiscal and service performance.
The letter denounced fare hikes without any corresponding improvement in services, especially in working-class and peripheral areas. “Long-distance routes have been cancelled, buses are fewer, and delays are longer,” it said. “Overcrowding has created unsafe conditions, especially for women and school children.”
Perhaps most critically, the groups opposed the BEST’s proposed transition into a feeder service for Metro and suburban trains. “Buses are not auxiliary services — they are a critical part of public transport in their own right,” the letter stated. “Reducing them to feeders will only push more citizens toward private two-wheelers and worsen urban congestion and pollution.”
When contacted senior journalist and transport expert Vidyadhar Date, he said, “The Maharashtra government is actively discriminating against common people. It, along with the BMC, has spent large amounts on motorists constructing car parks that are barely used, with most lying half empty. Motorists couldn’t care less; they continue to park freely on the roads, and the authorities do absolutely nothing.
According to Date, the supplementary demands submitted to the state legislature earlier this week, seeking massive grants so soon after the budget presentation, expose a shocking level of administrative inefficiency. “Over Rs 2,000 crore is being allocated for metro railway work an amount that could easily meet the needs of the BEST bus network. But the authorities don’t even consider it their basic duty to support public bus services. The insulting manner in which bus commuters are being treated is unbelievable. Many others are deeply upset as well,” further added Date.
