The Speed Demons come rushing

ROAD RAMPAGE
THE SPEED DEMONS COME RUSHING
Rash driving and rude behaviour by call centre vehicle drivers continues to go unchecked. Can anything be done?
The Times of India

ON THE night of March 30, the driver of a call centre vehicle, KA03 J-3067, stopped in the middle of Basavanagar Main Road and hurled abuses at the driver coming in the opposite direction. Says Amit N, senior marketing manager with an MNC, who was with his wife that night, “I was trying to avoid a pothole on the left side of the road and I was driving on the right. Before I could get back to the left, this driver came speeding towards me from the opposite direction and blocked my way. He starting abusing me.” Amit didn’t know whom to contact about the driver’s violent behaviour. “There was no complaint number on the car,” he adds.

TOO FAST: For many Bangaloreans, these call centre vehicles have proved to be nothing less than monsters on the road. “My driver was hit by a call centre vehicle last year. He was standing on a main road in Koramangala when this car banged into him and drove away,” says Ritu
Sharma, a media professional. Her driver Prasad suffered multiple fractures and his treatment cost the Sharmas approximately Rs 60,000. “We filed an FIR and though the car was traced, my driver hasn’t received any compensation till date.”

Only last month, a call centre car, KA05 AA 1779 hit a car and crashed into the compound of a community centre in Domlur. The vehicle was being driven rashly, said onlookers. While the occupants of the vehicle escaped unhurt, the driver suffered injuries.

CALL US: Some call centre vehicles have stickers at the back of the car with a number to call if you have a complaint. Chandrashekhar, transport in-charge at a BPO, says there are some days when his phone doesn’t stop ringing, and times when he gets no calls at all. “People call to complain about rash driving, drivers not sticking to lanes and honking too much.” When such calls come, Chandrashekhar calls the driver on his mobile and confirms the complaint. “If there’s an employee with him, we reconfirm the complaint,” says Chandrashekhar. Drivers are given three chances and are then penalised anywhere between Rs 100 and Rs 500. If the offence is repeated, he’s fired.

OVERWORKED? Chandrashekhar says he runs a fleet of 80-100 cars where the drivers work in shifts. “Sometimes they do two shifts a day. I don’t think there’s any stress. It’s just that the Bangalore traffic is bad and they need to get employees to work on time.”

Nandan Madhyasta, a call centre employee says, rash driving has become second nature to the vehicle drivers. “I don’t think they’re overworked and under stress. At night when they drive, the roads are empty and so they speed. They’re so used to driving fast, that they refuse to slow down even during the day,” says Madhyasta.

Team leader at a call centre, Rizvan Khan says many drivers are overworked and sleep deprived. “Many work on a contract basis. They work at night and rest during the day. But if extra work comes up during the day, they can’t say no otherwise they’ll lose the contract. For them, time means money,” he adds.

PIN THE BLAME: Says Khan, “The drivers need to be aware that if there’s an accident, then it’s putting the lives of at least eight people at risk.” According to Chandrashekhar, some complaints are also hoaxes. “People call if they’re stuck in a traffic jam behind a call centre vehicle and are upset that they can’t move. Quite a few complaints are without basis,” he says. But there should be some way to pin the blame, say Bangaloreans. “Some drivers scratch the last digit of the complaint number behind their vehicle so that people can’t call. What do we do then?” asks Kavita Rao, a college student. “Give the driver a mobile and display his phone number at the back of the car as well. That way, he’ll be made accountable,” suggests Khan.

COP TALK: Says Basavaraj Y Malagatti, DCP Traffic (West): “Call centre cars speed, go down one-ways and don’t stick to their lanes. We have so many cases booked against the drivers, who have been fined. The drivers are young, with no regard for traffic rules. The solution: Get the RTO to cancel their licences if they’re found breaking a rule more than thrice. BPOs should get the traffic police to meet their drivers and guide them.”