RTC fails to fill drivers' vacancies

Hyderabad: There has been no recruitment of new RTC staff — be it drivers, conductors or technical staff — for the past seven years. The last recruitment happened in 2011.

According to the data provided by drivers unions, around 15 to 20 people retire every year in each depot and there are 96 depots in the state.

Currently, there are around 22,000 drivers statewide, including drivers allotted for officers' vehicles. The shortage of drivers is one of the main reasons for the double shifts they have to do.

According to the unions, there is a shortage of 2,500 drivers in Hyderabad alone, and a shortage of 6,000 drivers in the entire state.

RTC’s executive director M. Ravinder claims that the corporation overcomes the shortage of staff “by bringing back the drivers who are deputed in the other offices. Also, there are drivers who are skilled in heavy motor vehicles but are driving light motor vehicles. Such drivers are also identified and shifted. Only in case of unexpected shortage, due to the duty driver’s absence because of leave or something else, do we ask the working ones to do a double shift.”