BEST short of best drivers

BEST buses,which are lifeline of Mumbai since long are in crisis. While you may have always suspected that they lack good drivers, now there are stunning figures to confirm the doubt. More than 2200 drivers short, BEST recently conducted a city-wide recruitment drive for 1,200 drivers.

 Thousands of aspiring drivers lined up for the job, only 26 could pass the test. What makes matters worse is that a substantial part of the 12,000-odd men currently driving the buses consists of daily wagers, who are fast gaining a reputation of not turning up when needed.

 An official of BEST said, “We have around 4,700 buses in our fleet and each bus requires three to four drivers. We recently conducted a recruitment drive for 1,200 drivers. It was a time-consuming and disappointing exercise. Those applying for the job have a driving license for heavy vehicles, but failed during the test. They are simply not good enough to drive these big buses on city roads.”