DTC gets its first woman driver

The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has appointed V. Saritha as its first woman bus driver.

Delhi Transport Minister, Gopal Rai, congratulated Saritha and encouraged more women drivers to take up the job.

He said that Saritha's induction into DTC will lessen the gap of gender inequality.

"DTC today has appointed the first woman bus driver. V. Saritha, sitting beside me, has accepted the challenge in Delhi and we have issued her offer letter today," he said.

The corporation has 243 female conductors but no woman driver.

Saritha, who hails from southern Telangana state, said she worked as a chauffeur in south Delhi prior to her stint with DTC.

"We were five sisters, four of them got married. I was the youngest one. My father's health was not good and we were having financial problems. So I started driving auto-rickshaw 10 years ago. Then I started driving four-wheeler vehicles and buses. I learned driving while driving tractor in our farm. This is how I got license for driving heavy vehicles," said Saritha.

Saritha said she travelled across the city as part of her training in last two weeks.

"I will ensure that all the female passengers of my bus have a safe journey. I will pick them from stands and drop them there. I will not jump red signals. We are given all the facilities right from CCTV camera to police helpline numbers in case of emergencies. I will stand by my female passengers," said Saritha.