A big fleet of buses, but restricted reach

November 28, 2014 01:33 am | Updated 08:22 am IST - CHENNAI:

Despite development in Manali, K.K.D. Nagar and Madhavaram, among other areas in the north, there has not been a proportionate increase in MTC services to cater to the populationPhoto: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Despite development in Manali, K.K.D. Nagar and Madhavaram, among other areas in the north, there has not been a proportionate increase in MTC services to cater to the populationPhoto: B. Jothi Ramalingam

With its current fleet strength of nearly 4,000, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) carries more than 50 lakh passengers a day across 800 routes covering a whopping 10 lakh kilometres.

Mind-boggling the numbers may be; but, a certain section of the city’s residents feel they receive few benefits of the bus network.

Be it areas in the city’s north, pockets in the south or the ever-expanding suburbs in the west, residents complain of too few services.

“Residents in Kodungaiyur are served by two bus terminals, Parvathi Nagar and K.K.D. Nagar. People living in the eastern side can hop onto buses originating from K.K.D. Nagar, but those in the west depend on Moolakadai and Arul Nagar,” says Sri Vivek, an engineering student and a resident of Kodungaiyur.

Despite development in Manali, K.K.D. Nagar and Madhavaram, among other areas in the north, there has not been a proportionate increase in MTC services to cater to the population. “We have seen an explosion in autorickshaws and share autos here, but MTC bus services have not seen a phenomenal growth,” he says, adding that students and office-goers are the worst affected.

The problem is not restricted to north Chennai alone. “Roads have improved and those who have their personal transport modes have easy access to Rajiv Gandhi Salai; but what about daily-wage earners who depend on MTC services,” asks G. Babu of Arasan Kazhuni, speaking of the situation in areas like Ottiyambakkam, Ponmar and Navalur. Residents of these areas find it extremely difficult to reach Sholinganallur and Medavakkam during lean hours, he points out.

“In the extended suburbs beyond Poonamallee, people are dependent solely on MTC services to enter the central business district. It is very tough for us to travel in packed buses every day,” says Isaac Sathish of Sirukulathur, near Chembarambakkam, who travels to Anna Salai for work.

We are amping our coverage, says MTC
Officials of Metropolitan Transport Corporation said they were currently operating buses on more than 800 routes, including to villages in neighbouring Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts that are on the periphery of Chennai. On the issue of inadequate services to locations within the city, officials said they were providing the best possible coverage with the available fleet and crew. “We have not only increased the frequency within the city and the peripheral areas, but also introduced brand-new buses on new routes,” an official said. Terming the logistics of the bus service a “massive operation” throughout the year, officials said MTC crew often stayed overnight in certain remote pockets only to make sure that people reached their homes. “If residents give petitions, we will act on it. Once a petition is given our officials will study it and improve the frequency,” the official said, adding that they had stopped services on certain routes due to unavoidable circumstances, poor roads being among them. (By Vivek Narayanan and additional reporting by K. Manikandan)
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