BEST Faces Shortage of 3,000 Drivers in Mumbai Amid Electric Bus Fleet Expansion
The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking in Mumbai is facing an acute shortage of drivers as it moves forward with plans to expand its electric bus fleet over the next three to four years. The issue, which was discussed during a BEST panel meeting this week, poses a significant challenge to the transport body's ambitious expansion goals and threatens to disrupt services for nearly 23 lakh daily commuters.
Senior BEST committee member Sunil Ganacharya raised the driver shortage during the panel meeting. According to Ganacharya, the undertaking will need at least 3,000 additional well-trained drivers as new buses hit the roads over the next year.
The shortage comes at a time when BEST is planning a massive scale-up of its operations. The transport undertaking has already cleared the procurement of 1,500 electric buses and is preparing to induct up to 2,000 new buses annually. The long-term goal is to expand the fleet to 10,000 electric buses within the next three to four years.
However, manpower recruitment has failed to keep pace with these acquisition plans. A senior BEST official acknowledged the crisis, stating that there is an issue regarding the availability of drivers given the scale of expansion planned.
Even with its current operations, the undertaking is facing difficulties. BEST is currently struggling to efficiently operate its existing fleet of over 2,500 wet-lease buses. Officials expect the gap between the number of required drivers and available personnel to widen as more buses are delivered.
The shortage is already having a direct impact on Mumbai's daily commuters. Passengers on several routes have reported longer waiting times and increasingly overcrowded buses due to a drop in service frequency and reliability.
During the panel meeting, members also raised safety concerns regarding potential recruitment solutions. They cautioned against hiring inadequately trained drivers to fill the gap, specifically warning against employing drivers whose experience is limited to smaller vehicles such as tempos and autorickshaws.
