With BEST bus strike, Mumbai tries to make do with alternatives, struggles

Autorickshaw and taxi drivers were the most sought-after on Tuesday after BEST drivers and conductors went on a flash strike. Also, with several people bringing out their private vehicles, there was traffic snarls at many locations across the city.

However, jams weren't the only trouble for Mumbaikars, with autorickshaw and taxi drivers refusing to ply as well as fleecing passengers by charging double fare. There were instances of autorickshaws and taxis ferrying more passengers than permitted.

The traffic police on Tuesday booked eight to 10 autorickshaw drivers for refusing fares. However, no cases of overcharging were reported. At some places, the traffic police also penalised drivers for allowing extra passengers.

"Due to the BEST strike, I had to walk from my residence in Antop Hill to Wadala station. It was the same situation after getting off at CST, as I had to walk to my office near Horniman Circle," said one Foram Gigani.

Private bus operators as well as MSRTC tried their best to provide as much relief as possible by running special services, with the former ferrying people between stations and business hubs, like BKC. MSRTC made 60 of its buses available on the Vashi-Chembur-Dadar-CST, Borivli-Andheri-Bandra-Shivaji Park-Worli-Churchgate and Thane-Ghatkopar-Kurla-Dadar-CST routes.

The state government also permitted private buses and cars, school buses, tempo and trucks to ferry passengers for a day. Another fallout of the strike was crowded local trains.

Many people took to social networking sites to complain about the inconvenience and the traffic jams.