Transport corporations to fill 8,719 vacancies in Karnataka after years of staff shortage

After the Covid-19 pandemic, financially-strained corporations were instructed by the then government to halt regular hiring as a cost-cutting measure.

Bengaluru:

Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and other State transport corporations plan to hire 8,719 employees following the retirement of 13,669 employees, according to Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy.

State-run road transport corporations (RTCs) — KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC — have not recruited any driver, conductor, or mechanic in the past eight years.

Mr Reddy told The Hindu, “Since 2016, 13,669 staff members have retired, causing a shortage in our workforce. The lack of drivers has prevented us from utilising our fleet to its full capacity. To address this, we plan to recruit 8,719 individuals across all four corporations, and also add new buses. The State Government has approved recruitment of 6,500 drivers and 300 mechanical staff in the first phase.”

* Source: Transport department

After the Covid-19 pandemic, financially-strained corporations were instructed by the then government to halt regular hiring as a cost-cutting measure.

In February 2023, the KSRTC took measures to tackle the driver shortage by outsourcing drivers to various divisions. This decision was made since the KSRTC had a shortage of 2,000 drivers. Currently, the total staff strength of the KSRTC is 35,000, out of which a majority are drivers and conductors.