200 DTC bus drivers colour blind & without valid licence

These drivers have been taken off duty since last month.

“The DTC medical board had earlier rejected the 95 drivers as they were found to be colour blind but they had appealed against the decision. Later,when they were tested again at a government hospital,the results confirmed they were,in fact,colour blind. They were removed from duty immediately,” the official said.

As far as not having valid driving licences is concerned,last year also many DTC drivers were dismissed as their licences were found to be fake. Most of these drivers had been hired during the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Several of these drivers had licences from neighbouring states like Uttar Pradesh or Punjab while some had licences issued from Northeast states,making verification a lengthy process.

The spate of accidents in recent months has put a lot of pressure on DTC to improve the skill of its drivers. Data provided by the DTC shows the number of fatal accidents last year till September was 43,while it has already crossed 50 this year. “Many of the drivers on DTC’s payroll are former Blueline drivers. These drivers drive rashly. Training is provided by the DTC to all drivers but there is only so much that can be done,” an official said.

According to DTC,such verification and testing is especially required to prevent dependence on contractual drivers,who have no direct accountability and tend to drive rashly.

Presently,the DTC has 13,754 drivers,of which 4,306 are contractual. The ratio of drivers to buses is 1:2.5,the official said. Contractual drivers are paid by the hour and kilometres covered,with incentives for more kilometres covered. “The very basis of the contractual service is that it rewards drivers who drive fast and put in longer working hours. This leads to rash driving,” the official said.