MSRTC appoints women bus drivers after a three-year-long wait

In 2019, 203 women appeared for the written examination, among these, around 142 women were shortlisted for the yearlong heavy vehicles’ driver training programme

Mumbai: Paving the way for more women in the public transport sector, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), in a first, sent pre-recruitment training letters to 22 women drivers on the occasion of Dussehra after a three-year-long wait.

Mumbai, India - 19 Oct. 2017: Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses parked inside Parel depot as the ST strike continues on 3rd day, in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, Oct 19, 2017. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT) (Hindustan Times)

Besides this, 27 men applicants also received their pre-recruitment training letters. A huge relief for these applicants who have been waiting through the pandemic for the offer letters.

In 2019, 203 women appeared for the written examination, among these, around 142 women were shortlisted for the yearlong heavy vehicles’ driver training programme.

However, they did not manage to get their recruitment letters owing to the pandemic. On Dussehra, they were thrilled to finally receive their letters. As part of the process, they will attend an 80-day training programme before joining duties.

This is MSRTC’s second attempt after the first one failed to take off in 2017. “As the rules did not allow women drivers without experience to be recruited, only conductors were hired by the MSRTC in 2017. Earlier there existed a rule that drivers needed three years’ experience in driving heavy vehicles. As this condition was scrapped in 2019 in its place MSRTC decided to provide one-year training to new recruits,” said an officer from MSRTC. It was after the end of this process that 22 women were given posting in various parts of the state as drivers.

MSRTC already has 36,000 male drivers and plans to recruit 10,000 women drivers. There are 4,500 women conductors with MSRTC as of now. Meanwhile, in 2019, 1431 men were recruited as part of the same recruitment process. “We shall ensure to provide recruitment letters to others at the earliest. We aim to recruit 10,000 women drivers across the state as part of our plans to go gender neutral,” said Shekhar Channe, managing director, MSRTC.