Commuters at Mint terminus are irked that they have to travel at least three kilometres, going either to Broadway or Chennai Central, to board buses.
The waiting time for commuters is at least an hour as many services have been discontinued.
Hundreds of commuters from Mint, Basin Bridge, Korrukkupet, Old Washermenpet and Pulianthope board buses from the terminus at Mint to go to various destinations including Seven Wells, Kilpauk, Tiruvottiyur, Tondiarpet, Perambur and Vepery. At least 540 trips are made by the 96 buses that operate from the terminus every day.
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The terminus is a crucial transport link for many residents in the northern neighbourhood as the facility is not only one of the oldest but is also located at the centre of a region comprising many important neighbourhoods,” said Abdul Hareem, a resident of Mint.
Many buses at the terminus are not plying. For more than six months now, buses to Koyambedu (Route no: 159), T. Nagar (11A), and Egmore (28A) are not operating from Mint.
Buses that originate from other terminuses and halt at Mint have been discontinued too. For example, buses from Tiruvottiyur to Egmore (28B), Korrukkupet – Vandalur (B18) and Perambur – Tollgate (8B) have not been operating for many months. Unlike other routes, the bus route between Perambur and Tollgate is of a shorter distance (one-way distance) but was stopped. Similarly, bus services between Korrukkupet and Vandalur via Mint is operated only once at around 7.30 a.m. daily.
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“Stopping of certain bus services has hit us as we have to take at least two buses to reach our destination,” said V. Kavitha, a commuter from Perambur.
Officials of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) said low revenue in these routes is the main reason for discontinuance of the services. Except during rush hour, these routes are not profit-generating for the MTC.
“Most of the time, buses go empty in these routes and we have to maintain our operating costs including diesel and staff allowances. With limited manpower and resources, we thought of diverting these buses to other routes where there is greater demand,” said a MTC official.