She started driving an auto at 18, now she’s Telangana RTC’s first woman bus driver
“I am the only daughter of my parents, who were daily wage labourers. I had to leave school and take up a job because they could not make ends meet,” Saritha said.
Telangana’s Road Transport Corporation has got its first woman driver, albeit on a contract basis.
En route to Miryalaguda in Nalgonda district from Hyderabad, V Saritha, the first woman to drive a bus for the TGSRTC, told The Indian Express, “I did not become a driver out of passion for driving. I became a driver because I wanted to provide for my family.”
Saritha, 38, is a tribal woman whose family of three is dependent on her. “I first started out as an auto driver on the Narayanpur-Chotuppal route in 2004,” she said. She was just 18 at the time.
“I am the only daughter of my parents, who were daily wage labourers. I had to leave school and take up a job because they could not make ends meet,” she said. She has studied up to class 10. Her younger brother was not born when she started working.
Saritha then met someone from an NGO in Delhi. “I was told that in Delhi, I would get a driving job from which I would not be removed. She said it would be permanent,” Saritha recalled. She moved to Delhi in 2011 and started driving an auto in the national capital. Wanting to improve her standard of living, she then got a heavy vehicle licence. “I realised that there is more money in driving heavy vehicles and decided to take a heavy vehicle licence,” she said. By 2015, she was driving as a contract bus driver in the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). “I did not get a permanent job, but used to earn about Rs 30,000 per month. But Delhi is an expensive city,” she said.
She spent most of her earnings on accommodation and food. “I also had to send money home. I managed to save very little — next to nothing,” she said.
She worked for 10 years in Delhi. “I kept going, driving through the busy streets of the capital. The government was supportive, though they did not give me a permanent job,” she said.
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“I will have to try to become permanent all over again. Besides, I wanted to be close to my parents who live in Hyderabad,” Saritha said on her decision to move back to her home state.
It has been only two months since she moved to Hyderabad and she has already landed a job. JBM Electric Vehicles, which runs 500 buses in a contract with TGSRTC, employed her.
“The government has been very proactive in trying to accommodate me. The government decided to offer me a contract job first. They will surely consider me for a permanent post once I get used to the Telangana roads,” Saritha said.
When contacted, TGSRTC officials said no decision had yet been taken on when the fleet would be able to accommodate Saritha on a permanent basis.
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“My mom cannot walk because she suffered a fracture to her hip two years ago. I want to be with her and take care of her. I hope I get a permanent job soon,” Saritha said.
Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice.
Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India.
Expertise & Focus Areas
Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include:
Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India.
Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism.
Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities.
National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting.
Authoritativeness & Trust
A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society.
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