Scrap wet-lease model, boost own fleet: Unions tell BEST

BEST unions have claimed that the drivers used by wet-lease operators do not have an agreement with the BEST Undertaking, and are therefore plying illegally.

- Shashank Rao

MUMBAI:

On January 22, the BEST Kamgar Sena met the BEST administration headed by the BMC's additional municipal commissioner (City) Ashwini Joshi, who looks after the day-to-day working of the undertaking. In the meeting, unions questioned how wet-lease operators were sub-leasing drivers who had no agreement with the undertaking.

The unions also raised issues pertaining to the functioning of wet-lease bus operators and their staff following the Kurla accident of December 9 as well as the poor maintenance practices of wet-lease buses. They also brought up the non-filling of vacancies in BEST's supply department, which was affecting the efficiency of bill collection.