Mumbai News: Private Bus Operators Threaten Indefinite Strike From July 1 Over E-Challans, Poor Infrastructure

Private bus operators have threatened an indefinite strike starting July 1, 2025, if their long-pending demands are not addressed by the authorities concerned. The proposed strike is expected to disrupt services across the city, including school buses, employee transportation, aggregator services like Uber, and intrastate private transport.

A senior member of the Mumbai Bus Malak Sanghatana, which represents private bus owners, confirmed that several passenger transport organizations have jointly decided to initiate a “Key Down” protest if their grievances remain unresolved beyond June 30.

“This protest is against the arbitrary implementation of e-challans, poor infrastructure, and persistent departmental hurdles that are severely hampering our operations,” the member said. He also noted that the strike has received widespread backing from various sectors of private transport, including school bus services and employee transport services, Cityflo, Uber operators, and long-distance bus providers.

In a related development, the Mumbai Traffic Police have scheduled a District School Bus Safety Committee meeting on Thursday at their Worli office. The meeting will be chaired by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), and representatives from the School Bus Owners’ Association have been invited.

Sources indicate that the School Bus Owners’ Association who have also been voicing concerns over unmet demands will determine their next steps based on the outcome of this meeting.

Confirming the development, Anil Garg, leader of the School Bus Owners Association, said that school bus operators are also facing similar issues.