Faced with three months’ increment cut for operating buses without closing the doors, Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) drivers have urged the management to fix a warning alarm in the bus if it was operated without the door closed.

According to the drivers, the MTC has started imposing an increment cut punishment for the drivers if they were reported driving without closing the door twice. “This is a new departmental action being taken on the drivers. Earlier, the management would initiate action only if the driver was involved in the fatal accidents. This has created tension among the drivers,” they said.

The MTC has a total fleet of 3,450 buses. Of this, only 1,900 buses including 1,131 red buses and 50 air condition buses have doors. The buses with door facilities were introduced by the MTC after 2006.

K Arumuga Nainar, general secretary, Tamil Nadu State Transport Employees Federation said three months’ increment cut for the drivers is excessive punishment. He said the manually operated doors were not functioning properly in certain old buses. “MTC management should introduce a warning system that warns the driver of the non-closure of the doors. In manually closed doors in the lift, the lift will not function if the doors are not closed properly and a recorded voice would instruct the users to close the door properly. Such a warning system should be installed on buses too,” he said. The union leader also urged the MTC officials to introduce an automatic door closing facility on the buses instead of punishing the drivers by deducting three months’ increment.

A senior MTC official said instructions were given to the drivers to operate the buses only after closing the doors and the doors should be opened only at the bus stops. “If they repeatedly fail to follow the instructions, we will punish them,” the official said.