Yangon Region Government orders dismissal of YBS drivers who carry conductors and overcharge passengers

YRTC Joint Secretary U Lyan Kyin Man said the Yangon Region Government has instructed that YBS drivers who operate buses while carrying conductors and charge passengers more than the prescribed fare be classified as dismissed transport workers.

He made the remarks at an awareness-raising meeting held at the YRTC headquarters on 24 September for YBS drivers who had committed disciplinary violations, including reckless overtaking and driving with side doors open, more than three times.

YRTC Joint Secretary U Lyan Kyin Man said drivers are the most important personnel in the YBS sector, transporting about 1.7 million passengers daily and being entrusted with the lives and property of commuters. He said they are therefore crucial to road safety, noting that passengers have lost their lives after falling from buses due to reckless overtaking and driving with side doors open. He said that if a traffic accident occurs, YRTC will prohibit the driver from driving and permanently dismiss them as a transport worker. He added that accidental traffic accidents would not necessarily result in fatalities, but deaths could occur when vehicles are driven at excessive speeds. As YBS buses are large vehicles, violations of traffic rules on major roads can be clearly observed, he said.

He also said drivers are prohibited from operating vehicles after using narcotic drugs. The Region Government has already instructed that drivers who operate buses while carrying conductors and charge passengers excessive fares be classified as dismissed transport workers. He explained that before a driver is classified as a dismissed transport worker, the case must first be thoroughly investigated and questioned by an inquiry tribunal. The findings are then submitted to a management meeting, where they are collectively reviewed and decided upon before the driver is officially classified as a dismissed transport worker.