Viral videos: Days after Mumbai BEST bus accident, clips of contractual drivers buying alcohol on duty surface online

Just a few days after the horrific Mumbai BEST bus accident, several videos of contractual bus drivers associated with the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buying or consuming alcohol while on duty have gone viral on social media.

These videos started surfacing online after a contractual BEST electric bus ploughed into vehicles and people in Kurla West on December 9. Seven people were killed in the accident, while 42 others sustained injuries.

A senior BEST official said the civic-run transporter encountered four such videos this week.

What do videos show?

In one of the videos, a driver, visibly drunk, is seen consuming alcohol in the driving seat of a bus. Police personnel can be seen questioning the driver about how he will drive if he's drunk. The video is apparently from Mulund depot and took place on election day.

“The driver was immediately sacked,” the official said, adding that they have also received three other videos in which drivers are seen stopping their buses by the road, buying alcohol and returning to their seats.

BEST also commented on the viral video on X, “The concerned Bus Driver has been suspended from the services with immediate effect. "

Two of the videos are reportedly from Bandra East and Andheri, while the location of the third is unclear.

According to news agency PTI citing sources, the Bandra East video was shot on December 11, just two days after the BEST bus accident Kurla.

However, it has not been made clear if the transporter has taken any action against the drivers seen in the videos.

Watch video:

BEST Kamgar Sena president reacts

In a press conference, BEST Kamgar Sena President Suhas Samant said these videos are being circulated to tarnish the transporter and its staffers' images.

“Unlike wet-leased bus drivers, BEST employees are bound by standing orders and service regulations. Hence, they won’t dare to stop buses anywhere on the road and get down to buy alcohol,” Samant claimed.

Speaking to PTI on Wednesday, Anilkumar Diggikar, BEST's general manager, said a meeting was held with operators of wet-lease buses, and it was decided to make breathalysers mandatory, in addition to other steps to curb accidents.

Another asked, “So contract system with such responsible work will lead to no accountability this means.”

While an other social media user commented, “They don’t follow a single traffic rule. At times they even try to force you off the road.”