Bengaluru: To address a long-standing staff crunch, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) inducted 2,000 new driver-cum-conductors on Tuesday — the first major recruitment drive in eight years. The corporation, grappling with a shortage of around 5,000 drivers and conductors, had previously resorted to outsourcing 2,000 drivers through private agencies to keep services running.The delay in recruitment was attributed to multiple factors, including the Covid-19 pandemic, financial constraints, and restrictions from the state govt on fresh appointments. With the induction of new staff, KSRTC plans to add more bus schedules in the coming days. On Tuesday, transport minister Ramalinga Reddy symbolically handed over appointment letters to 51 top-performing candidates who had secured the highest marks during the selection process.KSRTC received 25,494 applications for the posts, of which 13,954 were shortlisted for the selection process.