India, June 15 -- Out of the 907 accidents involving Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses over the past 10 months, wet lease buses were behind an overwhelming 887 accidents while only 20 accidents involved buses owned by the undertaking. Wet lease buses were also behind a majority of the fatal accidents during the period, accounting for 22 of the 23 mishaps that led to deaths between August 2025 and May 2026, data from BEST shows.

Sources in the BEST said though the undertaking has 13,418 drivers for around 2,700 buses that ply on 400 routes, drivers of wet least buses are under immense pressure as they shoulder a bulk of the workload for a meagre salary. The hiring criteria for BEST drivers and wet lease drivers is al...