In A First In 75 Years, A Woman At Wheel Of Maharashtra State Bus

Women breaking barriers to pursue jobs that are historically held by men in India have always been seen as trendsetters and this woman in Maharashtra is no different. Madhavi Salve was the unwitting star of a viral video that featured her driving a Sinnar-Nashik bus. She was pegged as one of the first women to drive a bus for the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and lauded for 'breaking the male hegemony.'

Breaking the hegemony, a few women on Thursday drove buses of the #MSRTC for the first time in its history. #Madhavi santosh salve was among the first women drivers of the corporation as she commanded the steering wheel of a #Sinnar- #Nashik bus

The new Era @msrtcofficial pic.twitter.com/EWkLJIXXBE

— Priya Pandey (@priyapandey1999) June 8, 2023

In an interview with a leading publication, Salve expressed her love and passion for driving buses. She said in the interview, "I always had a passion for driving buses. When I heard about the MSRTC opportunity, I requested for support from my family. They were eager to help me in my endeavour, though some of my friends and relatives were sceptical about my success." 

As per PTI reports, for the first time in its 75-yr history, the state-run public transport body (MSRTC) has recruited women drivers, 28 to be exact. The women have reportedly undergone up to 90 days of official training and tests on MSRTC buses ever since the process began. But this is not the first time that women have been trailblazing in transport. M Vasanthakumari was Asia's first woman bus driver who decided to pursue driving buses to support her family. 

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A post shared by Vasantha Kumari Bus Driver (@vasanthakumaribusdriver)

Many other women across India have paved the way in this field. According to Coachbuilders, Kalpana Mondal from West Bengal, Seema Thakur from Himachal Pradesh, Pooja Devi, Jammu & Kashmir and Venkadarath Saritha, New Delhi have also struggled against gender barriers of entry to make headway in this field. The Delhi government released a statement in January confirming that Delhi has 34 women drivers -- one of the highest of any state in India. Though MSRTC has not quite achieved that number yet, 28 is a promising start.