India, June 3 -- When the wet lease system was adopted by BEST to reduce its capital expenditure, operators were supposed to bring their own bus fleet and drivers. Over the last few weeks, however, the entire purpose seems to have been defeated, with BEST supplying drivers on its payroll to wet-lease operators facing a shortage.

Recent data compiled by BEST on its staff strength in the transport wing states that while the desired strength is 3,021 drivers, it has 7,100 employed drivers and an excess of 1,365 posts. Sources in BEST said that the drivers worked chiefly in two to three shifts of seven to eight hours each.

"Ideally, we do not need so many drivers in the system, considering our owned bus fleet of 600-odd," said a BEST offici...