Strike Day 3: BEST to run 180 special bus tours for NEET resit students

Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) on Sunday (June 21, 2026) arranged special services for students appearing in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and said nearly 180 bus services would be operated throughout the day to ensure their smooth transportation.

Special services of the civic transport system, whose employees are on strike from Friday (June 19, 2026), have been planned for students appearing at 63 examination centers in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a release.

BEST has deployed 60 buses on 24 routes to facilitate them to travel to examination centers across the city, officials said.

Almost 180 bus departures will be operated throughout the day to ensure smooth transportation of students. Direct bus services have been provided from key locations including Kurla, Dadar, Malad and Mulund to various investigation centres, the report said.

On Saturday (June 20, 2026), BEST sought over 100 buses from Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), including 60 to run special services for NEET candidates amid the ongoing BEST staff strike.

To facilitate students to appear for NEET, BEST has scheduled special buses across Mumbai between 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. He also appealed to students to use special bus services to reach their examination centers safely and on time.

However, details of special service routes were not released before 10am either through social media platforms or official media communications, making it difficult for students to plan their journeys in advance. The route information was released later this morning after the problem was brought to the attention of the authorities.

The strike, called by the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, has virtually paralyzed the civic bus transport system since Friday (June 19, 2026), forcing commuters to depend on local trains, metro services, taxis and autorickshaws for their daily commute.

The agitations continue despite the government invoking the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) and an industrial court’s preliminary injunction preventing workers from resorting to a strike.

The strike involves permanent and temporary employees of BEST, as well as most employees of crewed charter operators.

Notices were delivered under MESMA on Saturday (June 20, 2026) to employees participating in the ongoing strike and crewed charter suppliers. Under MESMA, legal action can be taken against striking employees.

BEST operates a fleet of 2,766 buses and carries around 25,000 passengers daily, making it the second largest public transport provider in Mumbai after the suburban rail network.

On the first day of the strike on Friday (June 19, 2026), only 48 buses were in service, while several buses were reportedly forced to return to depots following incidents of obstruction and stone pelting.

Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Friday (June 19, 2026) held talks with union representatives and senior officials of the Urban Transport Department and BEST 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 train drivers, conductors and other operational employees also remained weak.

In a statement on Saturday (June 20, 2026) evening, the labor unions that led the protest said they were ready to negotiate with the government at any time and urged the state leadership to take an early decision on their pending demands.

The strike led to a surge in ridership on tube services and added pressure on the commuter rail network, while many office-goers opted to work from home. Commuters reported long waits for taxis and autorickshaws and higher travel costs due to the absence of buses.

The union leaders claimed that the agitation would continue until the government gave a definitive commitment to their demands, including the merger of the BEST budget with that of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations, settlement of dues of retired employees, cancellation of contractual arrangements in transport and electricity, and absorption of leased bus workers into BEST.

Published – 21 Jun 2026 11:12 IST