She started driving an auto at 18, now she's Telangana RTC's first woman bus driver
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.
'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.
'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.
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