PMPML to not give drivers double shift

After a PMPML probe found that the accident that took place at BRT corridor last week involving two of its buses was due to one of the drivers being on double shift, the administration has decided to do away with the practice for its drivers

PUNE: In light of the revelation that one of the bus drivers had been assigned double duty in last week’s accident wherein two Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) buses collided head-on in the Nagar Road BRTS (bus rapid transport system) corridor, injuring 25 to 26 passengers, the PMPML administration has decided not to assign double duty to any of its drivers for the sake of passengers’ safety.

After a PMPML probe found that the accident that took place at BRT corridor last week involving two of its buses was due to one of the drivers being on double shift, the administration has decided to do away with double shift for its drivers. (HT)

Issuing the directive, PMPML chairman and managing director, Sachindra Pratap Singh, said, “Whether the driver is of the PMPML or a private contractor, no one will be given double duty anymore.”

“The safety of the PMPML passengers is most important to us. Compromising their security will not work at all. So, we have ordered that no drivers will be assigned double duty from now on. It is okay even if a bus does not travel on a certain route but the lives of passengers will not be played with,” Singh said.

The public transport body currently has 2,181 buses in its fleet, out of which 1,100 to 1,200 buses belong to private bus contractors while 800 to 900 buses are owned by the PMPML itself. Most of the drivers are hired on contract basis and do not have a fixed monthly salary. A majority of them undertake double duty just to keep their homes running, no matter that the number of accidents has been increasing in the bargain.