In a first, women to drive ST buses

932 women applied for driver-cum-operator posts

For the first time, over 932 women have applied for the post of drivercum-operators with the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC). A senior official said, currently the corporation does not have any women drivers, but if the applicants clear the writing and technical tests, they will be the first batch of women drivers. “Of 2,406 posts, 30 per cent are reserved for women. If these women are selected, they must display basic technical skills -like being able to replace a tyre, carry out minor repairs,clean the bus, apart from doing the night shift. For starters, the selected drivers will be deployed on shorter routes and then they will be given longer routes depending on their experience,” said an official. In 2017, 450 women had applied for the drivers' post but only few were able to clear the written and technical tests, while the others could not pass the physical or technical knowledge tests. An MSRTC official said, they had modified the norms this year to get more female applicants as compared to 2017. "We have modified the eligibility norms and have reduced the minimum height of the applicant from 160 centimetres to 153 centimetres. We have also reduced the required experience for driving lightweight vehicles, from three years to one year. Once selected, the transport department will give the women a year's training in driving heavy vehicles,” said the official. Transport minister Diwakar Raote had announced a recruitment drive for 8,022 posts of driver-cum-operators, for which they received over 42,000 applications. He mentioned, of the 8,022 posts, 4,416 have been reserved for candidates from the 12 drought-affected districts of Maharashtra.