RTO refuses permit to women trained to drive school buses

Cites lack of experience, says at least a year’s experience of driving a public transport is mandatory.

IN an attempt to curb rash driving as well as to prevent cases of molestation and sexual abuse of children in school buses, the School Bus Owners Association (SBOA), over the last year, had trained 52 women as school bus drivers. However, in a major setback, the RTO has refused to give the women permits stating that they need at least a year’s experience of driving a public transport.

The members of the SBOA had trained these female drivers after receiving complaints against male drivers alleging that they were reckless and irresponsible and were putting at stake the safety of students who they ferry.

Anil Garg, president of SBOA, said that following repeated complaints and rising cases of rash driving, it was decided that women drivers would replace them. “It is assumed that female drivers are more responsible and dedicated to their jobs. They are also expected to be more careful about student safety. Hence we invited applications from interested female applicants on the condition that they would be provided driving jobs close to their place of residence,” said Garg.

Soon after the plan was put into action, the association claims, they received over 100 applications from women all across Mumbai. Of the 100, 52 were shortlisted based on their education and family background.

“The female drivers should not have had to compromise on their family life as they had been shortlisted on the basis of how close they live to the schools,” added Garg.

Another SBOA member said, “There are many issues we are grappling with for years now, including confusion over implementing rules, hiring a woman attendant for each bus, rash driving and negligence by drivers, etc. While we have managed to resolve the issue of implementing the school bus safety rules, problems caused by bus staff have continued to haunt us — especially cases of accidents, close calls, molestation and sexual abuse by school bus staff. Hiring women drivers would have resolved all these problems. However without permits, this seems impossible now and our efforts have gone to waste.”

The SBOA, with the help of some private motor training schools and traffic officials, had trained the shortlisted candidates. The women had completed the training successfully two months ago and were deemed fit for driving school buses. However when they applied for permits and badges with the transport department, they were refused on the pretext of lack of experience.

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“The existing policy for school bus safety stipulates that the driver should have at least a year’s experience of driving a public transport. But as the newly-trained female drivers have no such experience, they have been refused permits and badges,” said Gautam Chatterji, the secretary in charge of transport and ports.
dipti.singh@expressindia.com

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