KSRTC to reward outstanding drivers to encourage errant peers to follow suit

Alappuzha: The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), which is striving to re-brand itself as a people-friendly carrier, has now set its eyes on reining in the errant drivers and turning them public-friendly. However, it’s adopting a ‘stick and carrot’ policy for this rather than turning to punitive actions alone.

While the Association of State Road Transport Undertakings (ASRTU), the apex body of all state-owned transport companies, observes Wednesday as 'Drivers Day’, the KSRTC will identify outstanding drivers in all its units across the state and reward them.

The passengers, as well as the general public, too will be allowed to participate in this initiative as the KSRTC travellers groups, budget tourism groups, KSRTC fans groups, and various social media groups can take the opportunity to honour their favourite drivers.

Commenting on the initiative, G Pradeep Kumar, Director of Operations, KSRTC, said the initiative would encourage their peers to emulate the ‘model drivers’.

“This is definitely going to raise the bar for disciplined driving and make the drivers more responsible. After all, who does not want to be appreciated by the public?” he said.

The occasion, according to the KSRTC authorities, intends to give an opportunity for the passengers to express their gratitude to drivers and draw more passengers towards the public transport systems.

“The ASRTU is attempting to create awareness among all road users of the need to show respect and gratitude to all drivers. It also aims to convey the message that society is taking care of drivers and is indebted to them for their positive contributions. As part of observing the day, the outstanding drivers in all KSRTC units across the state will be identified and rewarded,” an official statement said.

Official sources, meanwhile, added that the latest move comes after multiple efforts by the Corporation to enforce discipline among its drivers have failed to yield the desired result.

“The initiation of strict legal action becomes impossible against the erring drivers due to the pressure exerted by trade unions. Measures like installation of speed governors and correctional training too have failed to bring down the rate of accidents to the desired level,” said an official.

The state carrier has been found involved in several road accidents on the state’s roads for the past several years. As per the data released by the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB), 2,635 persons died in about 15,226 KSRTC bus accidents from 2006 to 2018.