Small buses bring big relief for Chennai suburbans

 

Chennai: Small bus services, with their reach and well chalked out operational areas, are bringing cheer to Chennai’s commuters, with the authorities even planning to add to the fleet. The service is being hailed as a much needed one, especially in areas where the other means of transport is only the auto, though north Chennai still remains on the sidelines.  

 

 Vasanth Kumar, a job seeker bound for Koyambedu, says, “I am travelling on this bus for the first time and I find it useful, particularly since auto drivers fleece us over short distances.

 

At the Vadapalani bus depots Assistant Branch Manager Aravind R. says, “The services are a hit among customers. We are receiving a collection of nearly Rs 40,000 a day. There are 10 buses running on various routes from the depot. Every half an hour to 40 minutes there is a bus and almost two buses per route.”

 

Vasanthi M., a commuter who frequently uses the service, says, “My house in Virgumbakkam is in the interiors and I had to depend on autos from the spot where MTC buses stopped. Now I am saving money because of these mini buses.”

 

 Koyambedu alone has four buses starting from Vadapalani depot. One of the conductors on the route says, “The minimum fare is Rs 5. Many people are using the service. We make a collection of Rs 4,000 a day. The buses start plying at 5 am and wind up by 10.30 pm.”  

 

 Hariharan K., an IT professional and a resident of Perungudi, says, “I have been using the services between SRP tools and Metukuppam of late. It is definitely a relief to many residents living in the interior lanes of the city were MTC buses do not ply.”

 

 Mohan Raj, a conductor on the same route, says, “The collections of the first week were less at Rs 1,800, but over time, they have increased to Rs 2,400. People are slowly becoming aware of the presence of the service and availing of it.”

 

 V.P Anbazhagan, Vice President of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Employees Association, says, “The bus service is doing well with some of the routes getting a collection of Rs 6,000 a day.  Presently, there are no designated bus stops, and therefore, the conductors depend on people showing hand signals to stop the buses. We have to look into this problem. There is also  the obstruction of traffic. But more buses need to be pressed into service going by the demand and the success of the scheme.”

 

 

 He adds, “We are going to restrict the services between a stretch of 10 to 11 km as the frequency is good.”