Mumbai’s BEST employees’ strike disrupts bus services and leads many commuters to use metro lines instead, causing a sharp rise in ridership across the city. Reporting on consecutive days, outlets say metro stations see heavier footfall during morning and evening peak hours as commuters struggle to find alternative bus routes. Metro Line 3 (Aqua Line) records a large increase, with passenger counts rising to about 1,42,428 till 7 pm on June 20, from about 1,01,838 during the same period on June 13—an increase of nearly 40%. Metro Line 1 (between Ghatkopar and Andheri) also shows higher demand, with ridership running above the June 6 baseline and expected to cross four lakh passengers by the end of service on the Saturday mentioned.
Another report says Metro One (Line 1) carries nearly 38,000 additional commuters till 5:30 pm compared with a normal working day, with the operator expecting roughly 60,000 extra passengers by day’s end. Several other metro lines, including 2A, 7 and 9, register increases as well. The disruption also contributes to overcrowding in shared taxis, with some operators facing checks and action for alleged violations after complaints.
