The auto-rickshaw strike on February 16 benefitted the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) which saw a revenue increase of Rs 72 lakh in one day.
The auto-rickshaw strike on February 16 benefitted the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) which saw a revenue increase of Rs 72 lakh in one day. BEST, which ran around 29 extra buses and extended/diverted routes of 274 buses to other routes, saw a sudden surge of over 865,000 passengers on Monday after around 80 per cent auto-rickshaws stayed off the roads.
BEST usually ferries only 30 lakh passengers per day but as a result of the strike, over 40 lakh passengers were ferried on that day alone. “We saw this surge especially in areas like Bandra, Kurla and other suburbs like Andheri were people heavily rely on auto-rickshaws,” said a BEST official on condition of anonymity.
It remains to be seen if BEST will be as lucky next week with Union leader Shashank Rao — who had called for the February 16 strike — hinting another agitation has been planned for next week due to unsatisfactory talks with the Transport Commissioner.
