For first time in 75 years, Women Steps in To Become Govt Drivers, Conductors

For the first time ever in its 75-year history, women have now joined the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) as drivers.

Breaking the stereotype, Madhavi Salve became the first women drivers of the transport body as she commanded the steering wheel of a Sinnar-Nashik bus.

This momentous occasion took place when six women were inducted as bus drivers-cum-conductors into the MSRTC on June 6-7, marking a significant milestone in the state's public transport history.

Lauding this achievement, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday, June 14, said that “another glass ceiling has been broken”.

Another glass ceiling broken!
Ms. Archana Atram creates history by becoming the first woman driver of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation.
She drove the ST Bus from Saswad to Nira (District Pune). Soon we will see Ms. Atram with a woman bus conductor and all passengers… pic.twitter.com/PgZYxbhZ3H

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) June 14, 2023

Apart from this, Archana Atram drove the state transport bus from Saswad to Nira in Pune district to become the first woman MSRTC driver. Fadnavis said a woman bus conductor will be seen along with Atram soon.

The MSRTC, which has a fleet of more than 16,000 buses, already has more than 5,500 women conductors in its ranks. A total of 12 women drivers have been recruited. Among them, four are serving at Sinnar depot, three at Pimpalgaon depot, two at Peth depot, and one each at Lasalgaon, Peth, and Kalwan depots in Nashik district.

Abhijit Bhosale, a spokesperson of the corporation, said that this was the start of a 'new era' after the state-owned public transport body announced the recruitment of 28 female drivers. A few of them started driving the buses starting last week.

Here’s All You Need to Know About Females Who Made History:

• Madhvi Salve - A 34-year-old mother of two, originally from Mahiravani village in Trimbakeshwar taluka had been driving a light commercial vehicle since 2016. She expressed her gratitude towards the warm welcome she received from her male colleagues at the MSRTC depot in Sinnar. Salve's journey to becoming a bus driver has been fueled by her passion for driving buses and her determination to break gender barriers. Despite facing skepticism from some friends and relatives, she pursued her dream with the support of her family.
• Archana Atram - A native of Nanded district’s Sarkani village, is among the hundred women ST bus drivers who have been selected by MSRTC. Their selection was done in 2019 but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their training could not be completed. A total of 18 of them were undergoing training in the Pune division and six have now joined the service after completion of their training.

Meanwhile, explaining the process of inducting women in this male-dominating industry, MSRTC vice-chairman and managing director Shekhar Channe told that these female drivers who possessed the heavy vehicle licence underwent rigorous training of three months, while those who did not have this licence underwent training for a full year.

Fadnavis was not present at the ST (state transport) 75th Amrut Mahotsav event organised in Mumbai. He was invited as chief guest and was supposed to share the dais with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

At the event, Shinde directed State Transport officials to concretise all depots, assuring a INR 500 crore allocation for the same.