The indefinite strike by employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking was called off on Sunday (June 21, 2026) night following a meeting between their unions and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, officials said.

The strike, which had severely disrupted bus services across Mumbai for the last three days, was withdrawn following discussions chaired by Mr. Shinde with representatives of the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, which was leading the agitation, and other stakeholders, they said.

The meeting was held at the Sahyadi Guest House here.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sachin Ahir, who is also the coordinator of a joint action committee of BEST employees’ unions, made the announcement after Mr. Shinde said permanent and wet-lease employees would receive an interim pay hike of ₹3,000 and ₹2,000 per month, respectively.

Some of the employees’ major demands have also been accepted, Mr. Ahir said, adding that BEST buses would soon return to the city’s roads.

Bus services remained severely disrupted across Mumbai on Sunday (June 21, 2026) as the strike by employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking entered its third day.

The BEST undertaking, however, said it had arranged more than 100 buses to facilitate students appearing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) re-examination in the city on Sunday (June 21, 2026).

The strike, called by the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, has virtually paralysed the civic-run bus transport system since Friday (June 19, 2026), forcing passengers to depend on local trains, Metro services, taxis and autorickshaws for their daily commute.

The agitation has continued despite the government’s invocation of the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) and an industrial court’s ad-interim order restraining employees from resorting to a strike.

BEST’s permanent and temporary staff as well as most of the employees of wet-lease operators have been participating in the strike.

Notices were served under the MESMA on Saturday (June 20, 2026) to employees participating in the ongoing strike and to wet-lease contractors. Under MESMA, legal steps can be initiated against striking employees.

BEST operates a fleet of 2,766 buses and carries around 25 lakh passengers daily, making it Mumbai’s second-largest public transport provider after the suburban railway network.

On the first day of the strike on Friday (June 19, 2026), only 48 buses operated, while several buses were reportedly forced to return to depots following incidents of obstruction and stone-pelting.

Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik held talks with union representatives and senior officials of the Urban Transport Department and the BEST undertaking on Friday, but the discussions remained inconclusive.

On Saturday (June 20, 2026), only four buses were on the roads during the first half of the day, leaving passengers dependent on other modes of transport. Attendance among drivers, conductors and other operational staff also remained poor.

In a statement on Saturday (June 20, 2026) evening, the employees’ unions leading the protest said they were ready for talks with the government at any time and urged the state leadership to take an early decision on their pending demands.

The strike has led to a sharp increase in ridership on Metro services and added pressure on the suburban railway network, while many office-goers opted to work from home. Commuters reported long waits for taxis and autorickshaws and higher travel expenses due to the absence of buses.

Union leaders have maintained that the agitation will continue until the government gives a definite commitment on their demands, including the merger of BEST’s budget with that of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations, settlement of retired employees’ dues, abolition of contractual arrangements in transport and electricity operations, and absorption of wet-lease bus workers into BEST.

Employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking went on an indefinite strike on Friday (June 19, 2026), affecting public transport services in Mumbai and causing inconvenience to hundreds of thousands of commuters.

Hardly any buses could leave the 27 BEST depots across Mumbai in the morning. Striking employees allegedly prevented buses from leaving the depots, forcing commuters to rely on alternative modes of transport, such as autorickshaws, taxis, app-based cabs and the Metro, to reach their destinations during the morning rush hour.

The BEST undertaking is yet to issue an official statement on the exact impact of the strike, which has been called by the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, a joint action committee comprising 12 unions.

Among the key demands of the employees are the merger of BEST’s budget with that of the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation), a one-time settlement of legal dues of retired employees, implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations for the 2016-2026 period, abolition of contractual arrangements in the transport and electricity departments, and absorption of wet-lease bus workers into BEST.

The strike commenced despite an ad-interim order passed by an industrial court restraining employees from resorting to a strike and the Maharashtra government’s invocation of the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA), which prohibits the disruption of essential services.

BEST is Mumbai’s second-largest public transport provider after the suburban railway network and carries around 25 lakh passengers daily through its bus services. It also supplies electricity to more than 10 lakh consumers in south and central Mumbai.

The civic undertaking currently operates around 2,700 buses, most of which are hired from private operators on a wet-lease basis.

Mumbai police have warned that legal action would be taken against anyone obstructing public transport services, damaging BEST property or preventing willing employees from reporting for duty.

The Shramik Utkarsh Sabha and the BEST Kamgar Union, which represent a section of BEST employees, have distanced themselves from the agitation, saying discussions with the administration and the state government were underway to resolve workers’ grievances.