‘Main nikla gaddi leke’: A Marathi woman who could not even ride a bicycle becomes Maharashtra State Transport’s first woman bus driver

Maharashtra News Updates: Archana Atram, 30, became the first woman driver in the history of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) last week after driving a government bus on the 35-km route from Saswad to Nira. Although seats were long reserved for women in all positions in the MSRTC, including that of drivers, they often remained vacant and were eventually given to male job applicants. Archana is one of the six women drivers who have recently joined the MSRTC team. She is a native of a village in Kinvat taluka of Nanded district.

Archana Atram: Pride of Maharashtra

According to Depot, every single employee is congratulating Archana and is happy to have her on the team. Despite the fact that it can be challenging for the women to drive such a large vehicle for such a long period of time, they believe they have done a great job. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Women’s Commission chief Rupali Chakankar recently posted a video showing Atram driving the bus with words of encouragement. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated Archana Atram on Twitter.

Devendra Fadnavis’s tweet

In a tweet, Fadnavis said, “Another glass ceiling has been shattered! Ms. Archana Atram created history by becoming the first woman driver of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation. She drove ST bus from Saswad to Nira (District Pune). Soon We will see Ms. Atram with a lady bus conductor, and with 50% discount on fares, all passengers will also be ladies! Congratulations to Archana and all the lady drivers who have joined MSRTC!” The minister also shared that a lady conductor will soon be joining Archana.

Another glass ceiling shattered!
Ms. Archana Atram created history by becoming the first woman driver of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation.
He drove ST bus from Saswad to Nira (District Pune). Soon we will see Ms. Atram with a lady bus conductor and all the passengers… pic.twitter.com/PgZYxbhZ3H

– Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) 14 June 2023

unable to ride a bicycle

Soon after the pandemic ended, when Archana enrolled in the course in Pune, she was unable to even ride a bicycle. He had no idea what an accelerator, gear or clutch was. She was entirely self-taught by her instructor. He’s a bus driver now, and his journey has been incredible. According to media reports, his family consists of his father, two brothers and sister-in-law. Despite the loss of their mother, their brothers continued to support them in their endeavours.

In 2012, 86 slots were set aside for women bus drivers by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), but they remained vacant due to lack of applications. According to officials, the biggest hurdle was that applicants must have four years of experience in operating heavy equipment to qualify. 2019 saw a change in the selection process and 150 female driver-conductors were hired, six of whom—including Atram—were given driving responsibilities. Due to the pandemic, the induction process was delayed and after that, he had to undergo one year of training.