Mumbai: Marathi lectures have begun for autorickshaw and taxi drivers at city RTOs, with sessions underway at Tardeo in the island city and Andheri in the suburbs.The initiative targets non-Marathi drivers and is designed to ensure they can speak, understand, and use the language confidently during everyday passenger interactions, especially around routes, fares, complaints, emergencies, and basic courtesy. Apart from the classrooms at RTOs, the transport department also launched an app, Mentza, with QR code and link for drivers to learn basic Marathi from home, announced Marathi commission chairman Ravi Gaikwad on Thursday.At Andheri RTO, officials have also introduced a separate course on driver behaviour for motorists caught during road checks for refusals and rude conduct. The module is being supervised by regional transport officer Anil Patil and is intended to address recurring passenger grievances through structured counselling and training. At the classroom session in Andheri, a team of trained RTO inspectors familiarises drivers with the basic words used by commuters while hailing an autorickshaw or taxi and to ask if the driver was willing to ply to a certain destination. Inspectors at all RTOs have been trained to impart Marathi lessons to drivers.Transport minister Pratap Sarnaik, who has made basic/functional Marathi mandatory for drivers, has set a deadline of August 15 for all drivers to learn Marathi, adding that no extension will be granted.Drivers will be offered at least an hour offline training daily, with a minimum of four sessions to attend, it is learnt. “The Marathi language education drive is being implemented through the transport department, with auto-taxi unions and associations taking proactive responsibility in mobilising drivers and supporting the rollout,” said Gaikwad.The first phase began in Mumbai, Thane, Dombivli, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Palghar and Dahanu, before expanding across the state. To strengthen delivery, the state government has collaborated with cultural and voluntary bodies, including Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad and Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh.After completing the course, drivers will face a viva voce assessment, and those who qualify will receive an official government certificate. An AI-based online app is also being introduced to help drivers learn Hindi-to-Marathi translation, common phrases, sentence patterns and daily conversation through guided practice, an official said.
