Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh Transport Corporation (HRTC) has started the recruitment process for 656 temporary heavy vehicle drivers to ensure uninterrupted bus services across the state amid warnings by drivers and conductors of an indefinite strike.
The Corporation on Tuesday issued an advertisement inviting applications from eligible candidates. According to HRTC management, the drivers will be engaged on a daily-wage basis and deployed across various depots depending on operational requirements to prevent any disruption to public transport services.
Under the recruitment drive, temporary drivers will be posted in 31 transport units. The move comes at a time when HRTC employees have threatened to go on strike over pending demands, prompting the state government to invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to maintain transport services.
The highest number of vacancies—25 each—have been earmarked for the Rampur, Rohru, Shimla Rural, Shimla Local, Karsog, Nerwa, Solan, Nahan, Mandi, Kullu, Keylong, Sundernagar, Chamba, Palampur, Baijnath, Hamirpur, Dehra and Bilaspur units. Twenty posts each have been allocated for Una, Nagrota, Sarkaghat and Dharampur, while 15 posts each are available in Reckong Peo and Nalagarh. Twelve posts have been kept for Jogindernagar, 10 each for Parwanoo and Pathankot and six for Sansarpur.
Candidates applying for the posts must have passed Class X from a recognised board and possess a valid HTV/HMV driving licence along with a minimum of three years’ experience in driving heavy vehicles. Applicants should also have a satisfactory character record and should not be involved in any serious traffic violations or criminal cases.
HRTC has specified that the selected candidates will be paid a fixed honorarium of Rs 1,500 per day. The appointments will be purely temporary and will not confer any claim for regularisation, seniority, absorption or continuity of service.
According to instructions issued by the HRTC Managing Director, no travelling allowance or daily allowance will be provided to candidates participating in the recruitment process. The Corporation has also reserved the right to increase or reduce the number of vacancies or cancel the selection process at any stage.
The walk-in interviews and driving tests will be conducted on June 24, 2026. Candidates have been asked to report to their respective Regional Manager offices between 12 noon and 1 pm with educational certificates, driving licence, Aadhaar card or other identity proof, experience certificates and self-attested copies of the required documents.
Applicants will also have to furnish a declaration stating that no criminal case is pending against them and that they have not been convicted in any criminal matter.
