The civic-run bus service in Mumbai was partially affected on Friday morning following a sudden agitation by contractual drivers of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST).
Drivers hired by a private company which has provided 100 buses at Shivaji Nagar bus depot staged the protest as they were unwilling to buy tickets for travelling by the buses themselves, said a BEST spokesperson.
The protest started at 5.30 am and the drivers returned to work around 10 am after the company officials assured them that they would be given `Chalo’ bus passes of BEST.
BEST, run by the Mumbai municipal corporation, is the second biggest mode of public transport in the city after suburban local trains. More than 30 lakh passengers travel by its around 3,700 buses. BEST has hired 50 per cent of the fleet from private firms on wet lease.
