CHENNAI: With mounting debts amounting to several thousand crores of rupees, state transport corporations have halted the recruitment of conductors, and instead, initiated the recruitment for driver-cum-conductor (DCC) positions. The Institute of Road Transport (IRT) issued a notification on Thursday to fill 3,300 DCC roles across eight corporations in Tamil Nadu.
This marks the first large-scale recruitment for permanent positions in the transport department in seven years. According to official sources, this initiative aims to optimise resource utilisation and reduce service cancellations caused by shortages of drivers and conductors.
According to official data, the eight transport corporations are currently facing a shortage of 11,000 workers, including drivers, conductors, and technical staff. The combined strength of drivers and conductors across these corporations stands at 87,000.
TNIE on March 11 reported that the government intended to remove the conductor’s position from future recruitments, instead to hire for a new combined role that merges the duties of both drivers and conductors.
According to the IRT notification, candidates holding both conductor and driver licenses are eligible to apply for DCC positions online through https://www.arasubus.tn.gov.in/ from March 21 to April 21. The minimum education requirement is an SSLC qualification, and applicants must also possess a first-aid certificate.
Among the allocations, MTC has been assigned 364 DCC positions, while the SETC, which manages long-distance buses, has been allotted 318 posts. The remaining vacancies are distributed across six Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporations: Madurai (322), Villupuram (322), Kumbakonam (756), Salem (486), Coimbatore (344), and Tirunelveli (362).