With the NEET UG 2026 re-exam scheduled to be conducted on Sunday, June 21, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) has shared on update on bus services for students amid the ongoing strike called by a group of unions.
In a notice issued on Saturday, June 20, BEST said that MSRTC will offer 100 buses for operations and 60 additional buses for NEET exam centres. Meanwhile, the strike is likely to continue on Sunday as well, according to reports.
The strike, called by a group of union sunder BEST, began at midnight on Thursday and reoportedly cuased major disruptions, especially during peak travelling hours. Key affected areas include Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), Kurla, Bandra, South Mumbai, and central and eastern suburbs. The has affceted daily travel of nearly 23 to 25 lakh commuters who rely on BEST buses services across the city.
The BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, an umbrella body representing 12 employee unions has called the protest due to several demands including the merger of the BEST budget with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) budget, permanent status for contractual and wet-lease drivers, implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations, expansion of the BEST-owned bus fleet, a one-time settlement of legal dues of retired employees, and a halt to further privatisation and public-private partnership models.
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BEST is Mumbai's second-largest public transport provider after the suburban railway network.
Amid the ongoing strike, BEST had increased services on key feeder routes in the BKC area to reduce inconvenience for passengers. More buses were deployed on Route 310 between Kurla Station (West) and Bandra Railway Terminus, BKC-2 between Kurla Station (West) and Swavalamban Bhavan, and BKC-3 between Bandra Bus Station (East) and the CA Institute.
The strike was announced by Union leader Ranganath Satavase, who highlighted several issues including unpaid retirement dues since 2022 and waitlisted workers denied minimum wages. He also cautioned that developing depots under a 99-year PPP lease threatens BEST's survival through privatization. With the aim to secure livelihoods and public transit, the union has demanded to merge BEST's budget with the Municipal Corporation for administrative and financial accountability, reported ANI.
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