The Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation’s bus service was disrupted on Saturday after drivers and conductors began a work stoppage over the alleged payment of only half their monthly salaries, affecting commuters during the Ganeshotsav festival.
The strike involves employees working in the municipal transport department’s bus operations. Workers said the contractor had paid them only half of their full monthly wages despite their having worked for the entire month. They also said the festival period had increased household expenses and that incomplete salary payments were making it difficult to manage their families’ needs.
The Vasai-Virar transport service currently operates 120 buses across 38 routes, including 40 electric buses. The system runs about 2,200 trips a day and carries approximately 60,000 to 65,000 passengers, according to the report. The stoppage therefore affects a substantial share of daily travel across the city, particularly during a period when public movement rises for festival-related activities.
The latest action follows an earlier strike by transport drivers and conductors on August 11 over several demands. At that time, the employees’ demands, including a wage increase and other issues, were reportedly accepted after discussions, following which the agitation was withdrawn.
Workers have now resumed their protest just as Ganeshotsav begins, raising questions about the reliability of contracted public transport and the arrangements used to ensure timely wage payments. For commuters, the immediate consequence is reduced access to the municipal bus network across the city’s 38 routes. The report did not specify how many services were cancelled or whether alternative arrangements had been made.
The reported dispute also places the transport contractor and the municipal administration under pressure to restore operations and address the wage issue. The source report carried the employees’ allegations but did not include a response from the contractor or the Vasai-Virar Virar City Municipal Corporation on the salary payments, the reasons for the alleged short payment or the steps being taken to resolve the stoppage.
The work stoppage began on Saturday morning. Further developments will depend on discussions between the employees, the contractor and the municipal authorities over the pending salary payment and the demands raised by the transport workforce.
