Fifty-two-year-old S. Venketasan, a commuter from Mogappair, rushed to board a bus at East Mogappair bus terminus when he saw many commuters alighting from a bus and sprinting towards another bus, located adjacent to it.
Such sprints are not uncommon at the East Mogappair bus terminus. This happens as a result of irregular timings followed by services in terms of entry and departure from the terminus.
“When the terminus was renovated three years ago, we were told bus timing boards for the benefit of commuters,” says V. Ramani, a regular commuter from East Mogappair.
The bus terminus at East Mogappair was renovated three years ago and an variety of amenities were provided. A few years ago, the bus terminus at West Mogappair was also renovated, and provided with a range of features.
However, certain essentials such as digital timing boards and opening of free bus pass counters for senior citizens and students, an adequate seating arrangement for commuters at bus bays and better lighting in vacant spaces are yet to be provided by MTC.
As a result, many commuters, especially women, prefer to board buses at the entrance of the terminus. They wait for their buses under the shade of a neem tree, instead of the bus bays.
For the region covering Anna Nagar, Tirumangalam, Padi, Mogapair West, J.J. Nagar and Nolambur, only the bus terminus at Anna Nagar West has a facility to issue free bus passes to senior citizens. And there are no direct bus services from Mogappair to Anna Nagar West bus terminus.
During rush hour, most of the buses on J.N. Road are overcrowded. During non-peak hours, only a few buses are operated from Mogappair to Tirumangalam, as part of cost-cutting measure by MTC.
“Steps will be taken to address commuters’ long standing demands,” says an MTC official.
