The Delhi police on Saturday arrested 12 bus drivers for allegedly damaging public property in Rohini district amid the ongoing strike by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) drivers, which entered its sixth day.
The strike began on Tuesday, with drivers hired by private agencies on behalf of the DTC refusing to operate buses and stopping those that were running. The strike continued despite Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh’s “assurance” on Thursday that the issue would be discussed with the private operators, who employ the drivers.
According to a police officer, four of the 12 were arrested in Begumpur and eight in Khanjawala for allegedly damaging bus windows during the strike.
“The police are alleging that those arrested used a WhatsApp group of drivers to instigate others to vandalise buses during the strike,” said a driver from the Burari depot. “They have been trying to malign our efforts since day one. But we will not back down until our demands are met,” the driver added.
The officer, however, denied the allegation, saying the arrests were made only in connection with damage to public property.
On Sunday, some buses resumed services after the Transport Department brought in over 2,000 former DTC drivers, as well as drivers who had been promoted and deployed to other services, to operate the buses.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) also stepped up services by adding trains and operating extra trips to accommodate the surge in passengers caused by the strike. The city also witnessed traffic jams, while fares on ride-hailing apps and auto-rickshaws increased.
Major concerns
According to 2024 government data, there are about 4,564 contractual drivers in the city. The DTC Karamchari Ekta Union said the number has increased since then and that there are now about 6,000 contractual drivers in Delhi.
The drivers said increasing privatisation of bus operations had kept their salaries low, while private operators had also shirked responsibility for bus maintenance.
“Our shift begins at 4 a.m. The duties (designated routes) are assigned without considering where a driver lives. Those travelling from far-off places have to wake up at 2 a.m., travel and do an eight-hour shift for a mere ₹862 a day. Someone doing overtime has to complete an entire shift that ends at 10 p.m. When will that person sleep? When will he spend time with his family?” said Sanjay Gupta (name changed), a driver from the Wazirpur depot.
Ajay Bhatia, a driver from the Shadipur depot, alleged that they are forced to work 16 hours at a stretch.
“We are facing problems because the private agencies do not care about us. We are forced to work for 16 hours just to earn a little over ₹1,000. We have no paid holidays, so we have to work even if we are sick,” he said.
Key demands
The drivers are demanding a “basic plus dearness allowance” salary structure, similar to that of government employees, with daily wages increased to at least ₹2,000. They are also seeking medical insurance, financial assistance in case of accidents and paid leave.
Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh recently directed private vendors to ensure passenger safety and oversee bus maintenance. The drivers, however, said the responsibility ultimately falls on them.
“The vendors do not come into the picture at all. Even when buses leave the depot in the morning, the employees responsible for checking them do not do their job properly, leading to breakdowns mid-route. The passengers then fight with us,” said Sandeep Kumar, another driver from the Shadipur depot.
‘Insufficient training’
Mr. Sandeep said that before being assigned DTC services, drivers receive six days of training on operating DTC buses.
“They tell us what the daily routine will be, how to handle passengers, what protocols to follow and so on,” Mr. Sandeep said. “There is no training in disaster management or on handling emergency situations. Most drivers are not well educated and cannot communicate properly with passengers,” he added.
The drivers said they had received no assurance from the government on a wage hike. “The fact that we do not have an educated and organised union is also affecting our strike,” Mr. Kumar said.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) criticised the BJP-led Delhi government over the ongoing strike, saying it was causing inconvenience to thousands of commuters while no relief had been provided to the drivers.
AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj said the government should consider increasing the drivers’ salaries to ₹32,000, a proposal the previous AAP government had sent to the Lieutenant-Governor but which was not approved.
Published – September 21, 2026 01:30 am IST
