Mumbai: In a major move to strengthen its workforce, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking will recruit 364 bus conductors, marking its first direct hiring drive for the post in nearly eight years. Online applications will open on August 1 and remain open till August 29. The recruitment will fill around 35% of the current vacancies in the conductor cadre and is expected to provide relief to the existing workforce as BEST continues to expand its bus services, particularly its electric bus fleet.
BEST currently has a sanctioned strength of 7,438 conductors, but only 6,402 are on its rolls, leaving a shortage of 1,036 conductors. A senior BEST official said the undertaking had not carried out fresh recruitment since 2019 as part of austerity measures. "Now, we are starting the recruitment process from August 1. This phase will fill around 35% of the vacancies, and the remaining posts will be filled gradually," the official said, adding that the move will help ease the workload on existing staff.
Candidates applying for the post must have passed the SSC (Class 10) examination with Marathi and English as compulsory subjects and should possess a valid or renewed Bus Conductor Licence issued by the Maharashtra State Transport Authority. The age limit is 18 to 38 years for the open category and 18 to 43 years for reserved category candidates. Applicants must also meet the prescribed physical standards, including a minimum height of 164 cm and weight of 45 kg.
Selection will be through a computer-based test (CBT) covering arithmetic, general knowledge and current affairs, and Marathi and English language proficiency. Officials said marks will be normalised as the examination will be conducted in multiple sessions before preparing the merit list.
Selected candidates will receive a basic monthly salary of ₹22,500, along with dearness allowance, house rent allowance, medical and uniform allowances, and other admissible benefits. They will also be eligible for a free BEST bus pass. The application fee has been fixed at ₹1,000 for open category candidates and ₹500 for reserved category applicants.
Conductor Strength at BEST
Sanctioned posts: 7,438
Conductors on roll: 6,402
Vacancies: 1,036
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