The small buses which were introduced by the State government last month have been bringing in good revenue to the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), say officials.
On an average, the trips made by one bus in a day bring in revenue between Rs. 3, 000 and Rs. 7,000.
Sources from the MTC said, of the 20 routes, the most popular, going by the daily collections, seems to be route S31 between Vadapalani and Koyambedu.
“The revenue varies according to the route and on Mondays, it is more than Rs. 7,000. But on an average we get a minimum of Rs. 3,000 every day. The income will increase in the coming days once people get familiar with the timing and routes,” said a source from the MTC.
To increase the revenue, the MTC officials say they will be creating awareness on the streets. The MTC is planning to install boards that will inform the public about the bus service. “We cannot set up bus shelters. Instead, we are planning to have boards which will display the timing and routes of the buses. Passengers can also flag down the buses,” said a senior MTC official.
According to MTC officials, the small buses and MTC buses start functioning at the same time. “The buses function according to passenger traffic. They commence trips at about 5 a.m. and stop plying at 11 p.m. There are no night services,” said a MTC source.
Commuters, especially students, have expressed satisfaction with the small buses, which, they say, particularly help reach the nearest bus terminus or railway station.
S. Akhilesh, a class XI student of a private school in Perambur, said earlier he often had to get into crowded MTC buses. “These small buses are comfortable,” he said.
P. Harinarayanan, a senior citizen residing in Virugambakkam said the small buses would help in creating familiarity between the conductors and passengers. “Earlier, the MTC bus conductors used to know the passengers. Now, the driver himself can don the role of the conductor, especially because the buses are small. This will also save money for the MTC,” he said.
Residents of northern, southern and western suburbs of the city have also expressed a need for the service in their areas. In response to the demand, MTC officials say they have started the process of studying the routes for introducing the next batch of small buses.
