Marking a step towards women empowerment, Vankadarath Saritha on Friday joined as the first woman bus driver of the Delhi Transport Corporation. Introducing her, the Delhi transport and rural development minister Gopal Rai called it a new beginning and said the department would appreciate if more women come forward to accept the challenge.

The 30-year-old driver, from Nalgonda in Telangana, has been posted at the Sarojini Nagar depot and will start working officially from April 20. “After four weeks of training, I am really excited to start my work from Monday. Initially, I have been given day shift. It will be a challenge as the reputation of drivers isn’t so good, but I would follow all the rules and especially keep women safety in mind,” Saritha said.