Stress and KSRTC drivers

Incidents of KSRTC drivers dying of cardiac arrest and stress related problems are on the rise.  The latest one being reported on 15-Apr-2012.  As if there is a divine intervention, in all these incidents, the drivers have either stopped driving or have swapped places with the second driver in the bus, thus avoiding absolute mayhem on the roads.  What can happen to the passengers and others on the roads is anybody’s guess.

Few months back when I was travelling in a Karnataka Saarige express bus from Mysore to Madikeri, I picked up a friendly chat with the driver.  I was astonished to hear that after completing his normal duty of driving from Gokarna to Mysore the whole night to reach Mysore around 6AM, the same driver was asked to drive back all the way to Gokarna at 7 AM.  Barring a few breaks in between, this driver would have driven almost 24 hours.  Such cases are reported even in case of drivers of Volvo buses as well.

Will KSRTC wake up to the impending danger?  There have been reactions from drivers and other staff about humanly impossible working conditions in both KSRTC and BMTC.  But these have been met with muted responses. 

No doubt, KSRTC runs the best fleet in the country today.  The finances too are in a good shape.  But the work ethics are questionable.  The Transport Minister and the officers have to set the house in order before anything serious happens.  The Department is more focused on ‘upgrading’ bus terminals whereas the critical need is to take up employee welfare issues which in turn have a huge impact on passenger safety and running an efficient public transport.