Nearly 60 passengers of a Hosur-bound government bus were stranded after the driver reportedly abandoned the vehicle on the National Highway 48 near Puthukoil on Wednesday.
According to officials, the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus, which was going from Vellore to Hosur, should ply through Vaniyambadi town. However, the driver did not go via Vaniyambadi town and continued to drive on the NH 48.
On the way, a checking inspector had questioned the driver for not taking the scheduled route and issued a memo.
However, the driver alighted from the bus and left the spot, abandoning the bus with the passengers in it near Puthukoil. The stranded passengers staged a protest on the spot.
‘Irregular for duty’
An official of TNSTC, Vellore, region said the driver was already irregular for duty. “An employee should work for 240 days to be confirmed but he has not been confirmed. When the checking inspector issued him a memo, he could have left the spot in confusion and fear that it could cause him further drawback in his work,” he said.
He said that they transferred the passengers to another bus to enable them resume their journey. “We have also moved the bus from the spot by engaging another driver. We will take disciplinary action when the driver returns to work,” he said.
