In The First, Women Drivers Take Charge Of Maharashtra State Buses

Despite efforts for women's empowerment and equal work opportunity for them, many fields of work lack women population. They are yet dominated by men or considered unfit for women. One of them is driving, especially driving heavy vehicles like trucks and buses. It is presumed that women are not good drivers. However,  Maharashtra's new initiative is an attempt to tackle this issue and prove women are one of the best in the field.

Though women are often considered bad drivers by misogynists, they still don't back off from driving personal vehicles. When it comes to public transport, we can see a large number of women driving cabs and autos as well. However, heavy vehicles like trucks and buses are still largely driven by men. In Maharashtra, one of the most thickly populated states of India, there were no female bus drivers for the last 75 years. Recently, the government hired 28 women bus drivers in an attempt to change the picture.

Suggested Reading: Before Criticising Women Drivers, Question Men For Rash Driving

Women Bus Drivers In Maharashtra

Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has a wide network of buses that connect even the most remote regions and difficult terrains. The public depends heavily on buses as these are a popular and affordable mode of transport. Employing women bus drivers is a significant step towards equal work opportunities for women in the state. The government launched a recruitment scheme for women drivers back in 2019 and around 206 women qualified for the initial tests. The recruitment was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic which made many qualified women drivers drop out of the process.

The qualified drivers included those women who had heavy vehicle licenses as well as those who did not. The ones who had heavy vehicle licenses had to undergo three months long rigorous training while the ones who didn't have it underwent a year-long training. The selected 28 women drivers again trained for 80 days before actually driving the state roadways buses.

Though MSRTC had 5500 female conductors for its 16,000 roadways buses, there was not a single female driver. These 28 women will be the first of many batches of women bus drivers in the state's buses. Some of them started driving from Thursday on routes in Pune and Nashik. There are still some Indian states who don't have many female bus drivers. Last year, Jammu And Kashmir hired its first female bus driver in the form of Pooja Devi.