Sachindra Pratap Singh, chairman and managing director of Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd. (PMPML), said that the transport utility was considering hiring independent psychologists and counsellors for the drivers. “The Saturday incident is shocking and shouldn’t have happened. The driver was supposed to keep his cool and he could have called his superiors if the argument with the car driver was unabated. Drivers have to be composed while doing their job, or it can lead to disasters. We will also be asking the Regional Transport Office (RTO) to suspend his licence,” Singh said.
Being a PMPML driver is not the easiest. Commenting on the Saturday incident, drivers said that they definitely needed more help. “Whatever that driver did was wrong. But it must be noted that we are doing eight-hour shifts with just a half-hour break. We also have to deal with the crowded streets and traffic jams. Moreover, more than 70% of commuters think that we are at fault for the slightest inconvenience to them. They abuse and assault us. All this is too difficult to process and take at times,” a driver requesting anonymity said.
However, commuters believe that this cannot be the reason for drivers to endanger commuters. “If drivers can’t take the pressure, they should look for another job. Each day, the drivers break basic traffic regulations like jumping signals, overtaking from the wrong side and speeding. What training is PMPML giving them,” Ankur Joshi, a daily commuter, told TOI.
Sandip Gotre, another commuter, said, “Last week I saw a driver using his phone while driving and despite telling him, he didn’t stop. They just don’t care and instead get angry when you point out what they are doing wrong.”
Sanjay Shitole of PMP Pravasi Manch said that a more serious attitude was the need of the hour.
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