GCTP’s ‘Zero is Good’ campaign: Five MTC drivers felicitated for accident-free record

CHENNAI: Five drivers of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) were felicitated at the launch of the GCTP’s ‘Zero is Good’ campaign, for having not been involved in a single accident in over 25 years.

The drivers inadvertently became the unofficial mascots of the campaign and their track record does send a strong message — “If they can do this, so can all of us.”

Drivers C Jayakumar, R Vasudevan, K Chandrasekaran, T Amalraj and Peter Anthony were felicitated by Additional Commissioner R Sudhakar and MTC Managing Director Alby John, for their service. Except for Peter Anthony, who has been a driver for 27 years, the other four drivers have managed to maintain an accident-free record for over 30 years.

R Vasudevan, the senior-most among the five, has been operating the same bus route 11 G (KK Nagar to Broadway) since he joined the transport corporation as a driver about 35 years ago. “Edhirpaarthu Iyakkudhal (anticipate and operate),” he said, when asked about his driving philosophy. “I always anticipate that the other road user – be it a motorist or pedestrian – might drive rashly, and drive the bus accordingly. This is especially applicable when the bus starts from a traffic stop.”

About driving on the city roads, he said the increase in the volume of vehicles over the years has made driving more difficult but he hopes to inspire young drivers.

“Driving is a stressful job. So, I always appeal to my co-workers and juniors to avoid habits like smoking or drinking,” he stated.

T Amalraj, a Kanniyakumari native, concurred with Vasudevan, and added that it was important for drivers not to lose their cool while driving. For the past several years, he has been driving the route 500 (Chengalpattu-Tambaram). C Jayakumar, who has been driving the 31G route (Tambaram-Medavakkam Koot road) said that he felt a sense of accomplishment and contentment to be recognised for his accident-free driving career.