All section Close
Image Credits: Hindustan Times, News18
Meet 42-Year-Old Laxmi Jadhav, The First Woman To Drive A BEST Bus In Mumbai
Writer: Tashafi Nazir
For most people, journalism sounds hectic and chaotic. For her, it's a passion she has been chasing for years. With an extensive media background, Tashafi believes in putting efforts on presenting a simple incident in the most interesting way.
Maharashtra, 23 May 2022 10:19 AM GMT
Editor : Shiva Chaudhary |
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
Creatives : Tashafi Nazir
For most people, journalism sounds hectic and chaotic. For her, it's a passion she has been chasing for years. With an extensive media background, Tashafi believes in putting efforts on presenting a simple incident in the most interesting way.
Women will be employed to drive the buses and work as conductors since the transport corporation was established in 1926. At least two more women drivers are being trained intensively on and off the road to operate the buses.
Laxmi Jadhav, a 42-year-old resident of Mumbai, will soon become the first woman to drive a BrihanMumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus starting next week.
In a first, women will be employed to drive the buses and work as conductors since the transport corporation was established in 1926. At least two more women drivers are being trained intensively on and off the road to operate the buses, Hindustan Times reported.
Jadhav has almost completed hers and will join on May 27 or 28, after chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and the state's tourism and environment minister Aaditya Thackeray flag off the first ride. She will drive the bus route between Dharavi bus depot and south Mumbai.
Hailing from Mulund, the 42-year-old was hired by lease operator Mateshwari Urban Transport Solutions Pvt Ltd., which runs 400 buses for the corporation.
Driving Enthusiast Since Childhood
According to News18, Jadhav has been a driving enthusiast since childhood and was the first woman to get an autorickshaw permit from Wadala RTO in 2016. She has done odd jobs with transport agencies earlier where she learnt to drive luxury cars like BMW and Mercedes. She has always received support from her husband in her professional pursuits.
The Mulund resident said that she was attracted to the job of a BEST driver as it provides a stable income and provident fund. She had enrolled in Dindoshi depot to learn to drive BEST buses and received the license in 2019. BEST already has around 90 women conductors.
Women Conductors To Join Soon
The decision to introduce women as bus drivers and conductors was taken in January. They have been introduced under the wet lease model, under which contractors paid per kilometre to provide buses with staff. Around 70 women bus conductors will work in these buses and another 100 conductors may be introduced later.
BEST began operating buses in the city under the Bombay Municipal Corporation on August 7, 1947.
Also Read: 70% Young Women in UP, Assam and Chhattisgarh Use Cloth for Menstrual Protection: Govt Data
Must Reads
We are an independent and public-spirited digital media platform for Indian millennials. We report news and issues that matter as well as give you the opportunity to take action.
