In a first, Delhi Transport Corporation appoints woman as bus driver

It’s nearly impossible to be a woman in Delhi and not feel anxious about your safety. But in a remarkable step, Delhi government has furthered the cause of women empowerment with the recruitment of Delhi Transport Corporation’s (DTC) first woman bus driver.

First female DTC driver Savitha will be driving AC bus on Delhi roads from Monday. Good for city. pic.twitter.com/Onarx9hHXI

— Anurag Dhanda (@anuragdhanda) April 17, 2015

According to a report in The Indian Express, Venkadarath Saritha, posted at Sarojini Nagar Depot, is set to hit the Delhi roads Monday onward. The 30-year old, originally from Hyderabad, was selected from five women who had applied for the post. [caption id=“attachment_2203704” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  DTC’s first women driver. Image Courtesy. Twitter @TaniaBery[/caption] Saritha is backed by years of experience, having driven numerous vehicles, from auto-rickshaws to a BMW. “I started driving an auto-rickshaw in my mid-20s. It was in 2011 that I first drove a bus — it was more of a minibus — in Hyderabad. It gave me the confidence to earn a livelihood with dignity,” Saritha told  The Indian Express. The youngest of five sisters, she moved to Delhi four years ago to join NGO Azad Foundation, which trains women to drive taxis. For the driver’s position, DTC had invited applications through advertisements in newspapers. Of the candidates who showed up, Saritha was found fit to drive a bus, after medical examination_._ She attended a 28-day training session and received her license to drive the bus on Friday. The DTC authorities even helped her obtain the mandatory public service vehicle badge from the transport department, as per The Indian Express report_._ On being asked about the new phase of her career, Saritha said, “This is [indeed] going to be a challenging job for me. As a responsible driver, I will be careful about the passengers in my bus and traffic on roads,” reports The Hindu. She was also quoted onn women’s safety by the Huffington Post, “I will ensure that all the female passengers of my bus have a safe journey…I will stand by my female passengers.” Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai lauded DTC for its “bold decision” of appointing Saritha as its first woman driver. He said that it would encourage more women to come forward and join the DTC’s fleet of buses. “We will explore scope for making appointments of more women drivers in future,” he said, according to The Hindu. Delhi has had women driving autos and cabs before, but a public transport bus will be a first for the city.