ASCDCL to recruit private staff to operate city bus service in city

Aurangabad, April 28:

The Aurangabad Smart City Development Corporation Limited (ASCDCL) has decided to outsource the recruitment of the manpower required to operate the Smart City Bus in the city.

In response to the tender, as many as 10 private agencies from Mumbai, Pune and other cities have expressed their interest in providing the required manpower needed to operate the bus service.

The ASCDCL will be scrutinising the tenders in the next week and shortlist the competent agency.

It may be noted that on the request of the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to have urban public transport in the city, the ASCDCL purchased 100 buses under Smart City Mission, three years ago. Initially, the ASCDCL had signed an agreement with Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to supply manpower (like drivers and conductors). However, the bus service in the city got derailed after MSRTC staff and other employees went on indefinite strike for last six months. This taught a lesson to ASCDCL which then decided not to overcome its staff dependency on MSRTC and go for recruitment from private agency.

It may be noted that after the union and the State Governments have devised a policy to promote e-vehicles, in response to it, the ASCDCL has decided to operate 35 electric buses on pilot basis. The buses will be hired from an agency. After completing these tender processes, the ASCDCL also has plans to hire five double-decker buses, on the lines of Mumbai’s BEST buses, in the city.