Staff crunch hits MTC services; over 2,000 drivers and conductors to be outsourced
The move comes as the corporation continues to grapple with a widening staff deficit that has been affecting service delivery, especially during peak hours and festival seasons
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CHENNAI: Facing a severe manpower shortage, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has proposed outsourcing 1,020 drivers and 1,172 conductors to ensure the smooth operation of its bus services in the city.
The move comes as the corporation continues to grapple with a widening staff deficit that has been affecting service delivery, especially during peak hours and festival seasons.
Currently, MTC operates 3,233 scheduled services every day, which requires a workforce of 8,487 drivers and an equal number of conductors, based on the standard norm of 2.625 staff per service. However, as of 31 May 2024, the corporation was short of 877 drivers and 364 conductors.
“Though 700 drivers and 625 conductors were engaged through outsourcing earlier this year, the staff shortfall continues to impact daily operations. Even after augmenting the team with an additional 25 per cent of drivers (175) from Stalwart Company Ltd., MTC has been unable to run all its scheduled services. On average, 320 services remain non-operational each day due to staff shortage,” MTC sources said.
The situation is further exacerbated by upcoming retirements. “Between June 2025 and June 2026, 295 drivers and 296 conductors are due to superannuate, while 63 drivers and 122 conductors are expected to be promoted to supervisory roles. This would bring the projected shortfall to 959 drivers and 216 conductors,” sources added.
As of now, MTC has 7,170 drivers and 7,854 conductors on its rolls, in addition to the outsourced workforce. To ease the burden, the Transport Department has scheduled a recruitment examination for 364 Driver-cum-Conductors. Despite this, the shortfall is expected to persist, with estimates indicating a gap of 1,020 drivers and 1,172 conductors even after the DCC induction, the official added.
To address this, the corporation has proposed hiring an additional 1,020 drivers and 1,172 conductors through outsourcing, aiming to reduce the number of non-operational services and ensure timely and sufficient public transportation across Chennai.
