'From Driving a Govt Bus to Now Riding Bike Taxis – My Life After DTC Layoff'

'I lost my job of a DTC bus driver when buses where phased out in 2022.'

Between 2022 and 2023, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) retired 123 buses that had surpassed the 15-year limit, in compliance with the National Green Tribunal order which restricts the operation of CNG vehicles on roads to a maximum of 15 years.

While this was for the greater good of the environment, it turned out to be catastrophic for me. I have been a contractual DTC bus driver since 2010. In 2022, as the phasing out of buses started, I lost my job.

Since then, I have been riding bike taxis and working as a food delivery partner with online companies.

Even as the government continues to add electric buses, it’s not easy for workers like me to find a job because new buses bring new tenders and contractors who prefer to keep their own employees.

'I Started Out as a Truck Driver's Assistant'

My relationship with the roads started in 1996 when I came to Delhi from Chhapra, Bihar, and took up a job as a truck driver's assistant, and over the years became a truck driver.

While I am somehow able to support my family with my earnings as a gig worker, it’s not easy for me. I am 47 years of age – and riding a bike from 8 am to 8 pm and then working as a food delivery partner from 11 pm to 1 am takes a toll on me.

If you’re wondering why, after a 12-hour shift, I still take up additional two hours of work, it’s because of the extra money I earn on the night shift. While I am paid Rs 10-12 per kilometre during the day, I get Rs 15 per kilometre at night. I do all of this to support my family – my wife, my two sons, and my daughter.

I am not as worried about my daughter because she is happily married and lives with her husband. I am more concerned about my two sons who are currently in class 10 and class 7. They are still young, and I don't want them to join this line of work. I want them to study hard and do well in life.

'How Long Will I Be Able to Continue?'

What scares me the most is that I am already 47. For how long will I be able to ride a bike? It has already taken a huge toll on my body. And on top of that, the two-wheelers are most vulnerable to accidents in Delhi.

Just last month, I was in an accident. On the day of Dhanteras, on 30 October, a lady hit the back of my bike with her new car which she had bought that very day. She ended up breaking the mudguard of my bike.

My job is not only risky, but it also doesn’t provide benefits like Provident Fund (PF), Employees' State Insurance (ESI), or a pension. So, I keep thinking about the future of my kids because I don't want them to pick up any job out of sheer desperation or helplessness. 

I am in conversation with my driver friends at DTC, and I am hearing that the Delhi government is going to add more buses to its fleet. I hope I can get a job there. I have also applied for a job of a bus driver at a couple of schools in Noida. If not, I hope to find a permanent job there.

(The Quint has reached out to DTC to find out details on how the drivers who were laid off due to the phasing out of CNG buses compensated. The story will be updated as and when they respond.)

(All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for the same.)