Mumbai’s lifeline is back as BEST strike called off

Written by: EXPRESS NEWS SERIVCE

4 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jun 22, 2026 01:00 PM IST

BEST buses return to Mumbai roads after employees call off a three-day strike following talks with the Maharashtra government.

The indefinite strike by BEST employees was called off late Sunday after a high-level meeting between Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik and representatives of the BEST Joint Action Committee at Sahyadri Guest House in Malabar Hill decided to accept key demands by the unions.

Joint Action Committee leader and MLA Sachin Ahir announced the decision to call off the strike following more than an hour of discussions with the state government. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Ahir said, “The state government held positive discussions with us. On behalf of the Action Committee, we are withdrawing the strike. The first buses will begin operating shortly.”

Shinde said the government had been in touch with union representatives and that the discussions had yielded a positive outcome. “We had been in contact with the BEST Action Committee for the past two days. Positive discussions have taken place,” Shinde said.

Government announces wage hikes and clears pending dues

Security personnel patrol a BEST bus depot in Mumbai as the civic transport undertaking’s employee strike affects bus operations across the city. (PTI)

Among the key decisions taken at the meeting was the clearance of employees’ pending gratuity dues within the current financial year. The government also agreed to provide an interim monthly wage hike of Rs 3,000 to permanent employees and Rs 2,000 to workers employed by wet-lease operators until a new wage agreement is finalised.

Shinde said the government would work towards resolving other pending demands within the next 15 days. “The pending issues of employees will be addressed. We will make efforts to ensure that BEST stands on its own feet and increase its revenue,” he said.

The Deputy Chief Minister further said that steps would be taken to improve employee amenities, including canteen and washroom facilities.

In a significant announcement aimed at strengthening the undertaking, Shinde said that 5,000 new buses would be procured under BEST’s ownership over the next three years and that the necessary financial provisions would be made in a planned manner.

He also assured that the “Kayapalat (transformation)” proposal prepared by the BEST administration would be submitted to the state government on priority and placed before the Cabinet for approval.

“BEST is Mumbai’s lifeline and it is necessary to strengthen and empower the undertaking,” Shinde said.

The strike, called by the BEST Joint Action Committee comprising several unions, was launched over a series of long-pending demands, including the merger of BEST’s budget with that of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations, settlement of retired employees’ dues, abolition of contractual arrangements in transport and electricity operations, and absorption of wet-lease workers into BEST.

The agitation had entered its third day on Sunday, virtually paralysing the civic-run bus transport system and inconveniencing lakhs of commuters across Mumbai. BEST, which operates a fleet of 2,766 buses and carries around 25 lakh passengers daily, saw only a handful of buses on the roads during the strike. To mitigate commuter inconvenience, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation deployed additional buses across the city, while BEST operated around 180 special trips on Sunday to facilitate students appearing for the NEET re-examination.