Reporter’s diary: For MTC drivers, the only easy day was yesterday

However, as this reporter got to experience first hand, innocence and tolerance may not always be traits associated with school-going youth.

Recently, in an MTC bus headed from Velachery to Guindy, a group of schoolboys boarded the bus, raucous with laughter and precariously perched on the footboard of the bus.

The driver tried his best to coax the boys into getting inside the bus and not travelling on the footboard. But he was nearing the end of his patience. And finally, when his requests bore no fruit, he stalled the bus and got into a heated argument with the group.

The proverbial alpha of the gang, who seemed more like a fully grown adult, went on to threaten the driver menacingly, challenging him to get the gang off the bus. By now, the conductor, who bore witness to the high octane drama, cajoled the driver and asked him to continue with the journey, having delayed it by more than 10 minutes.

It appeared that most of the passengers could only stand back and remain mute spectators when government workers such as MTC bus drivers are faced with such risky encounters.

It also goes to show that this was just one of the many kinds of errant travellers that these staff members have to put up with, as part of doing their duties. Like body cams on cops, maybe CCTVs inside buses need to be the norm of the hour.