Reconsider move to recruit driver cum conductor, urges AITUC-backed TN transport union

CHENNAI: AITUC-backed Tamil Nadu Transport Workers Federation has urged the state government to reconsider its decision to recruit drivers cum conductors for the State Transport Undertakings (STUs)arguing that combining driver and conductor roles would increase workload, affect efficiency and safety.

In a statement, the union’s general secretary R Arumugam said that recruitment of the drivers and conductors separately will ensure better working conditions and passenger safety while providing separate employment opportunities for thousands of unemployed youth registered with employment exchanges.

The Institute of Road Transport has notified direct recruitment for 3,274 driver-cum-conductor positions in state transport corporations. Applications are open for candidates aged 24 to 40, with a deadline of April 21, 2025. Additionally, 27,000 vacancies remain unfilled, it added.

Arumugam noted that all eight STUs operate 18,728 buses, requiring adequate technical, supervisory, and administrative staff. “Recommendations from expert committees suggest at least 7.5 employees per bus. However, only 1,08,318 employees are available against the required 140,460, leaving 32,000 vacancies.”

A recent government order dated February 21, 2025, mandates driver-cum-conductor appointments instead of separate recruitments. Eligibility includes a 10th-grade pass, a minimum height of 160 cm, a weight of 50 kg, normal vision, first-aid certification, and 18 months of heavy-vehicle driving experience.

“The lives and property of the passengers travelling in the bus will be under threat. The idea behind this is to exploit the workers by making impractical driver-conductor appointments in the city and suburban buses currently operating in the State,” he noted.