Gurgaon roadways to get 100 new drivers for its bus fleet

GURGAON: Gurgaon roadways is expecting a major boost in terms of 100 new drivers joining the department for its fleet of buses. At the moment, there is a shortage of at least 40 bus drivers and roadways officials feel that with the arrival of the new lot, the department would not only be able to fill the demand-supply gap but also help in increasing bus frequencies.
Sources informed that the recruitment process has been on for employing 2,000 drivers for the entire state and Gurgaon is expected to get at least 100 drivers.There are 20 bus depots in the entire state. The exams are being conducted by the Subordinate Service Selection Board.
Yashendra Singh, general manager, Haryana Roadways, Gurgaon, said, Practical exams have already been completed for bus drivers and their interviews are going on. We expect to get new drivers this year very soon.
Singh added that presently there is crunch of staff which is putting a lot of strain on the departments functioning. According to information, there are 263 bus divers working at the Gurgaon bus depot for its fleet of 200 buses including 10 air-conditioned ones.
In this scenario, bus drivers are working for 16 hours per day on an average. Moreover, in many cases they are also doing overtime, said sources. The department feels that arrival of bus drivers will ease the pressure and also help in regularizing working hours. Singh said, As there are not many spare drivers available, non-running durations of buses run into eight hours. During this time service of buses are not utilized and they are standing at bus stands. The department hopes to reduce this loss by increasing bus frequencies.