Coimbatore’s first woman bus driver shown the door, hours after MP Kanimozhi rides with her

Shortly after Lok Sabha member Kanomizhi felicitated her and travelled along for a short distance on her bus on Friday, Coimbatore district’s first woman bus driver, M. Sharmila (24) quit her job with a private transport company, purportedly due to a face-off with the management.

Shortly after Lok Sabha member Kanomizhi felicitated her and travelled along for a short distance on her bus on Friday, Coimbatore district’s first woman bus driver, M. Sharmila (24) quit her job with a private transport company, purportedly due to a face-off with the management.

“The accusation by the management that I invited Ms. Kanimozhi in order to increase my popularity, was unbearable. I slog for several hours a day since early in the morning [for this job],” Ms. Sharmila said after tendering her resignation.

A week ago, BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan too, had travelled along with Ms. Sharmila.

The tiff on Friday was said to be a direct outcome of an argument over issuing tickets for Ms. Kanimozhi and her staff by the conductor, also a woman, in the Somanur-bound bus from Gandhipuram. Ms. Sharmila had reportedly chided the conductor for being rude. Later, she had lodged a complaint with the manager.

However, the management had reportedly taken the stand that Ms. Sharmila has been inviting high-profile personalities in pursuit of media limelight. The manager Raghu, claimed that the appointment of a woman conductor a few days ago was not to the liking of Ms. Sharmila, since “she felt her popularity was getting diluted.”

Mr. Raghu further said that Ms. Sharmila was “upset” and had not reported for work on Wednesday and Thursday with the intent of quitting the job, but had offered to work on Friday.