DTC keen on hiring more women bus drivers

Keen on roping in women drivers for its fleet, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has decided to provide training and help them in getting heavy motor vehicle licences.

DTC has also decided to give some relaxation to women applicants in the hiring procedure, even in terms of experience. V Saritha, who is the first women driver to join DTC and is currently undergoing training, will soon be ferrying passengers across the city.

In order to recruit more women drivers in the corporation, DTC has decided to first train them to drive these vehicles for six months and thereafter, the organisation will help them get heavy motor vehicle licences.

Rules state that a driver must have a licence to drive a heavy motor vehicle (HMV) and have three years experience driving a bus. However, these women now need a commercial licence for light motor vehicles (LMV) only.

“Our aim is only to hire more women drivers. We have decided to give some relaxation to them. For instance, a women applicant having just a commercial light motor vehicle licence will be trained to drive heavy motor vehicles like buses for six months,” DTC’s CMD Debashree Mukherjee said. She also said that after completion of a six-month training programme, DTC will help these women drivers get heavy motor vehicle license from the transport department.