MSRTC warns its drivers against playing ‘courier’

In a circular in Friday, MSRTC warned its 68,000 drivers and conductors of disciplinary action, including suspension, if found transporting bags/parcels illegally. “We are on high alert since an improvised explosive device (IED) was found in a state transport bus at Raigad,” MD R S Deol said.
Sources said the drivers charge a small fee ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 200 depending on the parcel size.“The sender hands over the cash to the driver, who accepts the sealed parcel without checking its contents. The driver informs the receiver about the approximate time he will reach the destination depot. As the bus nears the destination, the driver telephones the receiver and asks him to collect the parcel,” said a source from MSRTC. The exchange is done before the driver reports to the depot.
Parcels travel regularly from Mumbai to Konkan, including Ratnagiri, Nashik, Pune, Kolhapur, and vice versa, said the source.
Another staffer at the Nalasopara ST depot said right from spices to dry fish to sacks of grain, onions, potatoes are parcelled illegally on ST buses. The parcels are placed in the luggage compartments or near the conductor’s seat. The cash is shared equally by the driver and the conductor.