The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking on Sunday (June 21, 2026) arranged special services for students appearing in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) re-examination, saying nearly 180 bus trips will be operated during the day to ensure their smooth transportation.
The special services of the civic-run transport system, whose employees have been on strike since Friday (June 19, 2026), have been planned for students appearing at 63 examination centres in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a release.
BEST has deployed 60 buses on 24 routes to facilitate their travel to exam centres across the city, officials said.
Nearly 180 bus trips will be operated during the day to ensure smooth transportation of students. Direct bus connectivity has been provided from key locations, including Kurla, Dadar, Malad and Mulund, to various examination centres, the release said.
On Saturday (June 20, 2026), BEST sought more than 100 buses from the state-owned Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), including 60 for operating special services for NEET candidates amid the ongoing strike by BEST employees.
To facilitate students appearing for the NEET, BEST has planned special buses across Mumbai between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. It also appealed to students to avail the special bus services and reach their examination centres safely and on time.
However, the route details of the special services were not made public before 10 a.m. through either social media platforms or official communication to the media, making it difficult for students to plan their journeys in advance. The route-wise information was released later in the morning, after the issue was brought to the notice of the authorities.
The strike, called by the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, has virtually paralysed the civic-run bus transport system since Friday (June 19, 2026), forcing passengers to depend on local trains, Metro services, taxis and autorickshaws for their daily commute.
The agitation has continued despite the government’s invocation of the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) and an industrial court’s ad-interim order restraining employees from resorting to a strike.
BEST’s permanent and temporary staff as well as most of the employees of wet-lease operators have been participating in the strike.
Notices were served under the MESMA on Saturday (June 20, 2026) to employees participating in the ongoing strike and to wet-lease contractors. Under MESMA, legal steps can be initiated against striking employees.
BEST operates a fleet of 2,766 buses and carries around 25 lakh passengers daily, making it Mumbai’s second-largest public transport provider after the suburban railway network.
On the first day of the strike on Friday (June 19, 2026), only 48 buses operated, while several buses were reportedly forced to return to depots following incidents of obstruction and stone-pelting.
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik held talks with union representatives and senior officials of the Urban Transport Department and the BEST undertaking on Friday (June 19, 2026), but the discussions remained inconclusive.
On Saturday (June 20, 2026), only four buses were on the roads during the first half of the day, leaving passengers dependent on other modes of transport. Attendance among drivers, conductors and other operational staff also remained poor.
In a statement on Saturday (June 20, 2026) evening, the employees’ unions leading the protest said they were ready for talks with the government at any time and urged the state leadership to take an early decision on their pending demands.
The strike has led to a sharp increase in ridership on Metro services and added pressure on the suburban railway network, while many office-goers opted to work from home. Commuters reported long waits for taxis and autorickshaws and higher travel expenses due to the absence of buses.
Union leaders have maintained that the agitation will continue until the government gives a definite commitment on their 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 bus workers into BEST.
Published – June 21, 2026 11:12 am IST
