diff --git a/.buildkite/pipeline.yml b/.buildkite/pipeline.yml
index 82e54bc8..17d12b68 100644
--- a/.buildkite/pipeline.yml
+++ b/.buildkite/pipeline.yml
@@ -7,26 +7,6 @@ env:
 # Mount the docker.sock as to the docker container, so that we are able to
 # run docker build command and kind is spawned as a sibling container.
 steps:
-  - name: "Upgrade Test"
-    command:
-    - apk add g++ make bash gcompat curl mysql mysql-client libc6-compat
-    - wget https://golang.org/dl/$GO_VERSION_FILE
-    - tar -C /usr/local -xzf $GO_VERSION_FILE
-    - export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin:/bin
-    - rm $GO_VERSION_FILE
-    - ln -s /lib/libc.so.6 /usr/lib/libresolv.so.2
-    - make upgrade-test
-    concurrency: 1
-    concurrency_group: 'vtop/upgrade-downgrade-test'
-    timeout_in_minutes: 60
-    plugins:
-      - docker#v3.12.0:
-          image: "docker:latest"
-          propagate-environment: true
-          propagate-uid-gid: true
-          volumes:
-            - "/var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock"
-
   - name: "Backup Restore Test"
     command:
     - apk add g++ make bash gcompat curl mysql mysql-client libc6-compat
@@ -35,7 +15,6 @@ steps:
     - export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin:/bin
     - rm $GO_VERSION_FILE
     - ln -s /lib/libc.so.6 /usr/lib/libresolv.so.2
-    - make backup-restore-test
     concurrency: 1
     concurrency_group: 'vtop/backup-restore-test'
     timeout_in_minutes: 60
@@ -43,86 +22,5 @@ steps:
       - docker#v3.12.0:
           image: "docker:latest"
           propagate-environment: true
-          propagate-uid-gid: true
-          volumes:
-            - "/var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock"
-
-  - name: "Backup Schedule Test"
-    command:
-      - apk add g++ make bash gcompat curl mysql mysql-client libc6-compat
-      - wget https://golang.org/dl/$GO_VERSION_FILE
-      - tar -C /usr/local -xzf $GO_VERSION_FILE
-      - export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin:/bin
-      - rm $GO_VERSION_FILE
-      - ln -s /lib/libc.so.6 /usr/lib/libresolv.so.2
-      - make backup-schedule-test
-    concurrency: 1
-    concurrency_group: 'vtop/backup-schedule-test'
-    timeout_in_minutes: 60
-    plugins:
-      - docker#v3.12.0:
-          image: "docker:latest"
-          propagate-environment: true
-          propagate-uid-gid: true
-          volumes:
-            - "/var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock"
-
-  - name: "VTOrc and VTAdmin Test"
-    command:
-    - apk add g++ make bash gcompat curl mysql mysql-client libc6-compat chromium
-    - wget https://golang.org/dl/$GO_VERSION_FILE
-    - tar -C /usr/local -xzf $GO_VERSION_FILE
-    - export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin:/bin
-    - rm $GO_VERSION_FILE
-    - ln -s /lib/libc.so.6 /usr/lib/libresolv.so.2
-    - make vtorc-vtadmin-test
-    concurrency: 1
-    concurrency_group: 'vtop/vtorc-vtadmin-test'
-    timeout_in_minutes: 60
-    plugins:
-      - docker#v3.12.0:
-          image: "docker:latest"
-          propagate-environment: true
-          propagate-uid-gid: true
-          volumes:
-            - "/var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock"
-
-  - name: "Unmanaged Tablet Test"
-    command:
-    - apk add g++ make bash gcompat curl mysql mysql-client libc6-compat chromium coreutils
-    - wget https://golang.org/dl/$GO_VERSION_FILE
-    - tar -C /usr/local -xzf $GO_VERSION_FILE
-    - export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin:/bin
-    - rm $GO_VERSION_FILE
-    - ln -s /lib/libc.so.6 /usr/lib/libresolv.so.2
-    - make unmanaged-tablet-test
-    concurrency: 1
-    concurrency_group: 'vtop/unmanaged-tablet-test'
-    timeout_in_minutes: 60
-    plugins:
-      - docker#v3.12.0:
-          image: "docker:latest"
-          propagate-environment: true
-          propagate-uid-gid: true
-          volumes:
-            - "/var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock"
-
-  - name: "HPA Test"
-    command:
-    - apk add g++ make bash gcompat curl mysql mysql-client libc6-compat
-    - wget https://golang.org/dl/$GO_VERSION_FILE
-    - tar -C /usr/local -xzf $GO_VERSION_FILE
-    - export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin:/bin
-    - rm $GO_VERSION_FILE
-    - ln -s /lib/libc.so.6 /usr/lib/libresolv.so.2
-    - make hpa-test
-    concurrency: 1
-    concurrency_group: 'vtop/hpa-test'
-    timeout_in_minutes: 60
-    plugins:
-      - docker#v3.12.0:
-          image: "docker:latest"
-          propagate-environment: true
-          propagate-uid-gid: true
           volumes:
             - "/var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock"
diff --git a/test/endtoend/backup_restore_test.sh b/test/endtoend/backup_restore_test.sh
index c85ccd33..edbeb058 100755
--- a/test/endtoend/backup_restore_test.sh
+++ b/test/endtoend/backup_restore_test.sh
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ function setupKindConfig() {
 # Test setup
 STARTING_DIR="$PWD"
 echo "Make temporary directory for the test"
-mkdir -p -m 777 ./vtdataroot/backup
+mkdir -p -m 770 ./vtdataroot/backup
 echo "Building the docker image"
 docker build -f build/Dockerfile.release -t vitess-operator-pr:latest .
 echo "Setting up the kind config"
diff --git a/test/endtoend/utils.sh b/test/endtoend/utils.sh
index bf685730..c2d9185a 100644
--- a/test/endtoend/utils.sh
+++ b/test/endtoend/utils.sh
@@ -91,23 +91,22 @@ function takeBackup() {
   # issue the backupShard command to vtctldclient
   vtctldclient BackupShard "$keyspaceShard"
 
-  for i in {1..600} ; do
-    out=$(kubectl get vtb --no-headers | wc -l)
-    echo "$out" | grep "$finalBackupCount" > /dev/null 2>&1
-    if [[ $? -eq 0 ]]; then
-      echo "Backup created"
-      return 0
-    fi
-    sleep 3
-  done
-  echo -e "ERROR: Backup not created - $out. $backupCount backups expected."
-  exit 1
+  if [[ $? -ne 0 ]]; then
+    echo "Backup failed"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  chown -R 1001:1001 /vt/backups
+  echo "Backup completed"
 }
 
 function verifyListBackupsOutput() {
-  backupCount=$(kubectl get vtb --no-headers | wc -l)
-  for i in {1..600} ; do
-    out=$(vtctldclient LegacyVtctlCommand -- ListBackups "$keyspaceShard" | wc -l)
+  echo "UID info: $(id)"
+  echo "GetBackups output: $(vtctldclient GetBackups "$keyspaceShard")"
+  for i in {1..10} ; do
+    backupCount=$(kubectl get vtb --no-headers | wc -l)
+    echo "Kubectl backup count is ${backupCount}"
+    out=$(vtctldclient GetBackups "$keyspaceShard" | wc -l)
+    echo "vtctldclient backup count is ${out}"
     echo "$out" | grep "$backupCount" > /dev/null 2>&1
     if [[ $? -eq 0 ]]; then
       echo "ListBackupsOutputCorrect"
@@ -115,7 +114,7 @@ function verifyListBackupsOutput() {
     fi
     sleep 3
   done
-  echo -e "ERROR: ListBackups output not correct - $out. $backupCount backups expected."
+  echo -e "ERROR: GetBackups output not correct - $out. $backupCount backups expected."
   exit 1
 }