BEST Appoints Female Driver for Introductory Wet Lease System

By: WE Staff | Friday, 8 May 2026

• Pooja Jadhav becomes BEST’s first female wet lease bus driver
• She excelled in training and will operate an electric AC bus
• Her appointment marks a step forward for women in Mumbai’s transport sector

Pooja Jadhav is the first female driver appointed by BEST under its wet lease system, a significant development for Mumbai's public transport system in the area of inclusion.

With her induction, Pooja is not only making personal history, but also contributing to an important historical milestone for women who aspire to enter a male-dominated profession.

Pooja, in her 30s, completed a 21-day driver training program at BEST's Dindoshi driving centre that resulted in officials reporting she exhibited exceptional confidence and control. Her performance on the assessment was second to none. "We saw her driving and she was perfect" said a depot official referring to her assessment performance.

Pooja is assigned to the Vikhroli depot and will undergo a week of training at the depot level, then 8 to 10 days of route familiarisation, before getting behind the wheel of a passenger service bus. Pooja will be driving an automatic electric air-conditioned transit bus, part of BEST's ongoing transition to cleaner, more modern and commuter-oriented transit operations.

Through the third-party agency Evey Trans, which operates electric AC buses using a wet lease agreement with BEST, Her appointment will see her join a rapidly changing transport sector in Mumbai, with increasing numbers of women occupying previously male-dominated roles. Every Trans reported that Jadhav will receive a gross monthly salary of Rs 30,000 (Rs 23,500 take home), that she is excited to learn and drive on different routes to transport commuters and that her superiors have indicated that she is very proud of BEST as a lifeline for those living in Mumbai.

Pooja's appointment is also part of a wider trend within BEST. Laxmi Jadhav was the first female bus driver employee of BEST to operate a BEST-owned bus, when she did so in May 2022, ending almost a century of tradition. Since her appointment, women have continued to strengthen their presence throughout the BEST system, particularly as conductors working on routes across the island city and the surrounding suburbs.

With this appointment, not only does she become the first appointment using the wet lease model; she has become a positive example of how urban mobility is changing by providing additional opportunities for more people.

Additionally, with BEST increasing the size of its electric fleet and modernising its operational infrastructure, her journey serves as an inspirational reminder of how resilience, ability and moving forward can bring about change. With a city that relies heavily on buses on a daily basis and is struggling to diversify its bus driver pool; her being behind the wheel of a bus is further indicative that public transportation is gradually, but surely, on the path towards becoming a more representative organisation to serve its users.