Kurla BEST bus crash: Former BEST committee member wants to scrap wet lease model

The site of the accident involving an out-of-control BEST bus in which seven lives were lost at Kurla on December 9. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Wet-lease bus drivers work at multiple places and are casual while handling BEST buses due to their poor pay structure and general lack of responsibility, leading to safety issues. Wet-lease companies are paid by the kilometre and, hence, pressurise drivers to keep working. These are just a few reasons for the rising number of accidents involving wet-lease buses, according to former BEST committee member and union leader Suhas Samant.

"Those driving autos and cabs who have public transport permits have been picked to drive buses. They lack proper experience. Wet-lease employees are recruited by private companies at a meagre salary of Rs 15,00 to Rs 20,000 per month, which leads them to moonlight and perform additional duties. This leads to constant stress and there is no time for sleep and rest, leading to unsafe driving of public transport vehicles. I have been highlighting such cases and alerting the authorities about the goings-on, but no attention has been paid to this," Samant said.

He added, "It has also come to light that besides wet-lease workers taking up additional work outside, the companies also make their staff work double shifts and beyond their schedule due to absenteeism, among other reasons. One of the reasons, I think, wet-lease employees have been reckless is because they do not fall under the guidelines of labour laws," he said.

"The BEST has a glorious past and was always a responsible and safe organisation. The wet-lease contract process has to shut down for good," Samant added. BEST officials said that they are making the training of wet-lease drivers stringent, and a committee has been formed to re-examine all the aspects of wet-lease operations. "Any violations will not be tolerated and errant wet-lease operators will have to explain themselves," a BEST official said.

Induction method

Explaining the ideal driver induction method at the BEST undertaking for an EV bus, a wet-lease operator said that there are five steps involved in the entire process.

Step One: Once a potential driver's application is received, a background check is carried out. There is then a two-day electric bus trial within the bus depot to see if he can drive. This is followed by scrutinising his papers, as per the BEST's requirements.

Step Two: The driver documents are sent to Wadala for verification. After this, the documents are sent to the Dindoshi training centre

Step Three: Bus training takes place at Dindoshi as per regulations and scheduled slots. Once this is completed, the drivers are sent back to the assigned depots. At the depots, they are tested on what they learnt at Dindoshi and final approvals come in.

Step Four: Technical and wheel training with a master trainer takes place within the depot and the company imparts EV bus training.

A successful candidate undergoes route familiarisation training with a master trainer at the wheel. After the master driver's confirmation, the EV bus is handed over to the driver.

Videos of ‘drunk' BEST drivers viral

BEST General Manager Anil Diggikar on Thursday said that action had been initiated against drivers and wet-lease staff seen in an apparently inebriated state in various viral videos on social media. In one such clip, a driver is seen walking from a liquor store to a nearby parked BEST bus while another showed an official with an empty bottle of liquor in a BEST bus. The videos surfaced just days after the Kurla accident, creating an uproar. "We have suspended the drivers seen in the videos and are now working on making breath analyser tests mandatory before drivers take the wheel," Diggikar said.

Who had shut buses at Kurla? Buses to resume on Friday, says BEST general manager

Daily commuters struggled for three days in the Kurla area after BEST suspended services temporarily. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The heavily used BEST bus hub outside Kurla railway station remained shut for the third consecutive day, forcing passengers to take autos or walk for a mile to the bus depot. There are over 10 bus routes that ply from this hub. BEST officials initially said that bus services had been stopped following instructions of the Kurla police station, fearing backlash from the rampage on Monday and they were waiting for approvals from the police to reopen the bus hub. "But with the Kurla police denying that they had shut bus operations outside Kurla station, commuters questioned BEST as to whose directives it was acting upon. It is suspected that the buses have been shut due to lack of manpower and wet lease contractor issues," activist Anil Galgali said. "We shall resume services on Friday." BEST General Manager Anil Diggikar said.