The unsung heroes

From the well laid to those replete with potholes, from the ever bumpy, undulating, and broken to just a dirt track, is what makes up the massive 55 lakh km-long road network of the country.

And a safe long-distance journey under most of these circumstances needs expert maneuvering skills and an undisturbed mind for thousands of drivers that traverse these roadways.

But that doesn’t seem to be the case for a great number of the captains who ply over 70 million passengers every day in the 1,50,000 buses operated under the Association of Road Transport Undertakings.

Providing efficient, economic, safe and reliable public transport in urban, hilly and rural areas is by no means an easy task. It becomes all the more challenging when you see most staff still clamouring for adequate compensation, benefits, good working conditions and even some respect. After all, they are responsible for helping millions of passengers reach their destinations safely despite battling a hostile terrain in many parts, undertaken under harsh working conditions.

Moreover, a large number of drivers in the country who are not on the governments’ payrolls or are out of the regulatory net earn one-tenth of what their counterparts working in the State road transport units earn.

“The monthly compensation for drivers under the state road transport is about ₹30,000 to ₹45,000, while those employed by the private sector could be as low as ₹3,000 to ₹6,000,” reveals Inderjeet Singh, President, Driver Ekta Local Highway Interstate, a drivers’ association.

The complaints from drivers who are not getting sufficient benefits are intensifying as even State transport corporations are increasingly opting to put their bus services on contract. Officials in the corporations admit in private that there are also cases of buses that operate under State carriage permits where the drivers are not paid as per the mandated rules. Besides inadequate and disparate payments, drivers often face difficult working hours and a tough working environment. This can lead to fatigue and accidents. There were 37,487 bus accidents that resulted in 12,088 deaths and 50,686 injuries in 2016, according to Road Ministry data.

“Drivers should be given resting places every 400 km, so that they can sleep, freshen up and have nutritious meals at reasonable rates,” adds Singh. He says there should be medical benefits, with at least ₹20 lakh compensation on accidental death.

Lawmakers, it seems, have taken note of this issue. Stressing the need to improve drivers’ working conditions, a recent Parliamentary Committee deliberating on amending the Motor Vehicle Act has recommended that action be taken to alleviate drivers’ stress arising due to climatic factors and long working hours. Responding to the suggestion, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways informed the Committee that setting up of stop-over points along highways for the drivers is being considered. While these steps from the Government will require time and resources, for the passengers to give a little respect to the ‘captain of the bus’ can come free and with immediate effect.

Drivers often crave that respect from their passengers. “In Sweden, bus drivers are called ‘Ambassadors’. Why can’t we do the same in India? If flights can have pilots, ships can have captains, don’t the bus drivers require some recognition and respect?” asks PS Ananda Rao, Executive Director, Association of State Road Transport Undertaking.

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