Temporary drivers jolted by rickety buses

While a school bus driver gave passengers tense moments when the vehicle went in reverse instead of forward, in Tiruchy, Gajapathy of Vellore, a temporary driver operating on the Chengalpattu – Kancheepuram route said, “The gear failed to go into reverse, despite repeated efforts, much to the amusement of a group of CPM members demonstrating nearby. When they realised that I was having difficulties they helped me. It took two of us to shift the gear into reverse.”

While private buses are in prime condition, it is the opposite with government buses. A driver said, “I have to use force to press the accelerator, which is not the case with private buses.”

Meanwhile temporary crew, dressed in mufti left many passengers confused. A couple of days ago, passengers around Gudiyattam were surprised at conductors in lungis collecting fare in yellow bags. The temporary crew are paid daily and amounts range from Rs 350 to Rs 500 based on their driving experience. Only around ten per cent of government buses were operated in Vellore district on Monday, much to the chagrin of passengers as most were bound for Chennai, and not to interior villages.

Nearly 500 transport workers staged a demonstration in Vellore demanding payment of pending dues, the Vellore office of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (Villupuram) issued show-cause notices to 2,300 striking employees on Monday wanting to know why action should not be taken against them for dereliction of duty.