Kadamba Transport Corporation’s first woman bus driver, Pooja Vaigankar, has begun driving on the Panaji–Valpoi route after joining the state-run transport corporation on Dussehra, marking the first appointment of a female driver since KTC was established in 1980.
Vaigankar, who is from Bicholim, was personally welcomed to the KTC fleet by Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday. Her appointment places a woman in a driving role that had remained closed to female employees at the corporation for more than four decades.
“We have already seen with the pink force how women can ride cars and rickshaws, however, Pooja has proved that even a mighty bus can be driven,” Sawant said. “I am very happy to see that our women are so strong that we are slowly building a community of women who can take up such roles.”
Vaigankar previously worked as a truck driver in Bicholim. She said she applied for the KTC driver’s position when vacancies were announced and remained firm about seeking a driving role during the recruitment process.
“Prior to this, I worked as a truck driver in Bicholim. When vacancies opened at KTC and I appeared for the exam, the management was surprised that I wanted to take up the position of a driver,” she said. “They asked me if I had come there to apply for the post of a bus conductor but I was firm that I wanted to drive their buses.”
After completing the recruitment process, Vaigankar was absorbed into the corporation and assigned her duties. She has now been deployed on the Panaji to Valpoi route, connecting the state capital with Valpoi in North Goa.
Her appointment comes as KTC’s workforce gradually becomes more gender-diverse. The corporation currently has nearly 40 women conductors and four newly appointed women traffic controllers, according to the report. The expansion of women’s participation is therefore not limited to one operational role, but includes ticketing and traffic-control functions within the public transport system.
For passengers, the change will be visible on a regular intercity bus route rather than only at a ceremonial event. Vaigankar’s deployment also follows her previous experience operating heavy vehicles, which formed part of her stated preparation for the KTC role.
The corporation’s next operational step is Vaigankar’s continued service as a driver on the Panaji–Valpoi route. No further details on additional female driver appointments or changes to KTC’s recruitment policy were provided in the report.
