More Buses, Fewer Drivers: BEST Faces Manpower Challenge

Mumbai: The city’s daily bus commuters may soon face a new challenge even as BEST prepares for a massive expansion of its electric fleet. While the undertaking has lined up thousands of new buses under ambitious electrification plans, a growing shortage of drivers threatens to become a major hurdle.

The issue surfaced during a BEST committee meeting, where member Ajay Singh highlighted that the undertaking already operates around 2,600 wet-lease buses but does not have enough drivers to run them independently. As a result, BEST has been providing drivers to private operators running these buses and earns around Rs 5-6 crore every month from the arrangement.

Singh cautioned that the situation could worsen in the coming years as BEST plans to increase its fleet dramatically. The undertaking has already cleared procurement of 1,500 buses under the PM e-Drive scheme and expects more than 2,000 additional buses to be delivered by a private contractor within a year. According to committee members, at least 3,000 more drivers will be required as the new buses enter service.