The Kayamkulam-Munnar Fast Passenger service has become a superhit and the credit goes to its driver Jaison Jacob. His sincere attempt to attract passengers by calling out places en route to Munnar was captured by fans of the KSRTC who uploaded it on social media, which was then shared by none other than Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar on his Facebook page. The video has amassed a total of over 3 lakh ‘likes’ and has made Jaison a mini-celebrity of sorts. But for Jaison, there is nothing out of the ordinary in what he does.
“This is not the first time I am doing this. I like to see my bus full, whichever route I may be operating upon. Only then do I feel that I have fulfilled my job as a driver,” Jaison says. “What happened here was that certain fanboys noted my work and congratulated me personally for the effort I was making. But I didn't know they had captured me on video and shared it on social media. But I am happy they did. It is always good to have your effort appreciated, and mine was appreciated by none other than the minister himself!” The service, which earlier originated from Alappuzha depot was moved to Kayamkulam after it failed to attract enough commuters. With Jaison in charge, the bus service now regularly collects between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 daily. The Munnar route witnesses heavy competition from the private operators. So, extra effort is needed from the RTC staff to pull in commuters. There is also another reason.
“There are a lot of North Indian natives who commute regularly on this route. They do not know that this bus plies through their destination as most of it is written in Malayalam. Earlier, I used to be in charge of a Coimbatore bus. When it reached Aluva, only a few people used to get in. But then a Thrissur bus would pull up after me, and people would rush to get into that bus. Then I understood that many of these people do not realize that this Coimbatore bus passes through Thrissur. This prompted me to step outside and call out the places en route to let them know that they can reach their destination in my bus as well,” Jaison explains.
The 45-year-old native of Muvattupuzha originally wanted to join the military. In college Jaison was a gold medalist winner in the Javelin throw and had also participated in the nationals. During the military recruitment, Japan aced all the tests with high marks. “I was the first in all the categories. Seniors used to tell others to do it like Jaison does it,” he says. “But I have this condition of flat foot, which made me fail the medical test. That put an end to my dream of joining the army.”
However, Jaison is a very happy person at present in life. He does not regret not being able to join the army, as he eventually realised that being a driver was his dream all along. “When I was a child, I used to sit in a chair and drive an imaginary bus, complete with changing gears and blowing horns. It was only when I got the job as a bus driver that I realised this was my dream all along. I genuinely believe that if you do your job with love and sincerity, you will find it productive and satisfying. That is my experience,” Jaison says.
On the nature of his employment as a KSRTC driver, Jaison says it is ‘ok’. “It is a government job, so it carries that privilege. And of course, it comes with the big responsibility of transporting people safely to their destinations. But it can also be very hectic. Right now, I am supposed to be on three days’ leave, but I have been called to drive a special tour trip to Gavi tomorrow. It has been booked by the panchayat members and staff from my native place and they have specifically asked for me. I cannot say no. Then there is the issue of salary delays. Sometimes it may extend to two months.”
Then why is Jaison putting this extra effort to make sure every trip he makes gets the maximum number of passengers and brings the maximum collection to the corporation? “I have a son. Occasionally, when we go out he expresses his desire to eat food from fancy places. We go in and eat together. At night, before going to bed, he will hug me and kiss me on the cheek, showing his affection for fulfilling his desire. That is the greatest experience in the world, and I get it because of the job I have. I can never be not sincere to my job,” says Jaison. An everyday hero, Jaison’s story deserves to be told, as it exemplifies the need to love what you do and be sincere towards it. The benefits it brings may not come in the form of money, but as genuine experiences rightly described as the greatest in the world.
