898 BEST drivers face action for rash driving, with 789 from wet-lease fleet

The action comes at a time when wet-lease buses, which account for more than 90% of BEST’s 2,850-bus fleet, have been under the spotlight following a series of accidents

Mumbai: BEST has taken disciplinary action against 898 drivers for rash and negligent driving between January 2025 and May 2026, with 789 of those drivers operating buses under its wet-lease model, according to data shared by the public transport undertaking.

The action comes at a time when wet-lease buses, which account for more than 90% of BEST’s 2,850-bus fleet, have been under the spotlight following a series of accidents. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

The action comes at a time when wet-lease buses, which account for more than 90% of BEST’s 2,850-bus fleet, have been under the spotlight following a series of accidents. Between January and May this year, 249 accidents involving wet-lease buses left 10 people dead and 46 injured, according to BEST data.

The latest incident occurred in Goregaon East on Monday, when a Bhayandar-bound wet-lease bus operated from the Dindoshi depot grazed a car before crashing into a metro rail pillar near Oberoi Mall. Two people, including a BEST employee, were injured.

According to BEST data, the highest number of cases was recorded at the Santacruz depot, with 324 drivers facing action. “This was followed by Mahim with 50 cases, Majas with 46, Colaba with 43, Goregaon with 31 and Dharavi with 23 cases,” said a BEST official.

The disciplinary action followed complaints and incidents of speeding and rash driving reported to various depots. Officials said that disciplinary measures included suspension, censure, caution and departmental inquiries, while several cases were referred to the concerned wet-lease operators for further action.

In some cases, drivers were suspended for a day, while others were issued cautions or censured. Financial penalties were also imposed on operators in certain cases. At the Santacruz depot, for instance, a penalty of ₹9.72 lakh was imposed on a wet-lease operator in one case.

In Monday’s accident, Rajendra Sonawane, 58, a BEST engineering department employee from Dindoshi, suffered a head injury and required three stitches. Passenger Mangesh Modlekar, 57, suffered injuries to his chin and head and required one stitch on his chin and five on his head. Both were treated at Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari East and discharged. A case was registered against the bus driver based on a complaint filed by the driver of the private car that the bus had grazed.

Officials said the incident has added to concerns about the safety and supervision of wet-lease buses. Of BEST’s 2,850 buses, only 249 are owned by the undertaking, with the remaining 2,601 operated under wet-lease contracts.

BEST officials said training and inspections were being used to address the problem. “We are providing three weeks of practical training on electric buses, and one week of academic studies on understanding how electric buses function. In most of the cases involving e-buses, it has been found that it was the driver’s fault,” said a BEST official.

Officials also said drivers were being trained in defensive driving techniques.