It’s advantage private drivers

Private drivers are making the most out of the TSRTC employees strike, earning about `30,000 over the last 20 days by driving RTC buses.

Depot managers are getting calls from local leaders with recommendations for these posts as well. In a day, on an average, about 8,000 to 13,000 private drivers and conductors are being taken on duty by the TSRTC across all 97 depots. Each driver is being paid `1,500 per day and conductors get `1,000 per day.

These private employees were also given another payment option, where a confined target amount for each bus service is set aside and the driver and conductor can split the amount collected beyond the target. The target varies from `3,000 to `20,000 depending on whether it is a luxury bus service or the local pallevelugu bus service.

Meanwhile, there are at least one or two accidents being reported on a daily basis. One of the recent incidents in the Parakala depot was when an RTC bus, driven by a private driver, hit a car and left about ten people injured.

In separate incidents, two people have lost their lives, one in Nizamabad and the other in Chengicherla, in which temporary drivers were driving the RTC bus on October 17.

A depot manager, on condition of anonymity, said, “Amidst all our stress of managing depots single-handedly, we get calls from local corporators and other party leaders recommending certain people as drivers and conductors. Many private drivers come to duty late and are not able to handle even a minor breakdown.”

Depot managers are also getting calls from passengers regarding overspeeding, use of mobile phone while driving and non-consideration of bus passes.