Breaking male hegemony, a few women on Thursday drove buses of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) for the first time in its 75-year history.
The state-owned public transport body has recruited 28 women drivers and a few of them started driving passenger buses from Thursday, said its spokesperson Abhijit Bhosale.
It was the start of "a new era," he said.
Madhavi Santosh Salve was among the first women drivers of the corporation as she commanded the steering wheel of a Sinnar-Nashik bus.
MSRTC vice-chairman and managing director Shekhar Channe told PTI that the women drivers who possessed the heavy vehicle license underwent rigorous training of three months, while those who did not have this licence underwent training for a full one year.
At the end of it, a test was conducted, and those who cleared it underwent another 80-day training.
As many as 206 women drivers had qualified in a direct recruitment scheme in 2019, and so far 28 of them have been recruited. Some of the qualified women opted out as the pandemic delayed the process.
The MSRTC, which has a fleet of more than 16,000 buses, already has more than 5,500 women conductors in its ranks.
MSRTC buses are considered Maharashtra's lifeline as they connect remote villages located in difficult terrains with town and cities across the state.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
4 Killed, 34 Injured As State-Run Bus Rams Into Truck In Nashik Maharashtra State Buses To Beed, Latur Stopped After Maratha Protesters Throw Stones Video: Maharashtra Bus Seen Running With Half-Broken Rooftop, Probe Ordered India A "Cyber Adversary", Says Trudeau Government, New Delhi Shreds Claim 'Will Return With...': Swati Maliwal Pours Dirty Water Outside Atishi's Home 19 Injured In Rocket Strike On Building In Israel's Arab Town Of Tira The Impact Of The World's Richest Man On US Democracy GATE 2025: Application Correction Deadline Extended, Details Here Fire Breaks Out At Factory In Delhi's Alipur, 34 Fire Tenders Rushed Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.