Mumbai, Jan. 2 -- Buses operated by the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking have been involved in 958 accidents between January 2023 and December 2025, leading to the death of 77 people and leaving another 217 injured, data from the undertaking shows. While accidents increased substantially in 2025, with the first 11 months logging 606 major and minor accidents, an overwhelming majority of mishaps (582) involved buses operated by BEST under the wet lease model, where vehicles and staff are sourced via contracts. The accident in Bhandup on Monday also involved a wet lease bus, though the driver, currently under police custody, was a BEST staffer. "Fatal accidents involving BEST-owned buses and resultant deaths have been dropping steadily since 2023. But the scenario is exactly the opposite when it comes to wet-lease buses," said a BEST official. The BEST currently has a fleet of 2,743 buses, of which 2,494 are on wet lease while the remaining 249 are owned by BEST. There are a host of issues plaguing BEST which are reflected in the data on accidents, said Hussain Indorewala, co-convenor of the civil society group, Aamchi Mumbai, Aamchi BEST. "The accident in Bhandup exposes a probable design flaw in electric buses - that of the brake and clutch pedal being located very close to each other. Training patterns for drivers and bus staff also need to be upgraded and refresher courses should be run pertaining to electric buses," Indorewala said. The wet lease model had caused a big dent in BEST's record and compromised passenger safety, said Yash Agrawal, a doctoral scholar on transport in Mumbai. "Drivers of wet lease buses do not get sufficient rest and are under constant stress while being deprived of basic facilities," Agrawal said....