09 May,2021 06:56 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
MSRTC has given two buses to the NGO for the monthlong trial service
Bus staffers of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), one of the biggest public transport undertakings in the country with a fleet of 18,000 buses, have sought priority vaccination to keep the transport lifeline going.
The MSRTC has been playing a significant role in sustaining the public transport services in second-tier cities, maintaining connectivity between small townships and the rural belt. In Mumbai too, the MSRTC has been plying about 1,000 buses as a part of the BEST bus fleet.
Sources said that the MSRTC has a staff of about 98,000 employees, of which about 31,000 are drivers, 34,000 conductors, 18,000 mechanics and remaining clerical and other staff. As per the latest statistics of the 98,000, just about 30,000 have been vaccinated.
The demand by bus staffers for priority vaccination has received support from Maharashtra's transport minister Anil Parab, who is also the transport body's chairman. Parab said that since MSRTC is the major road lifeline of urban and rural Mumbai, all its workers should be declared as Covid-19-warriors.
