The new bus routes introduced at some depots by MTC has brought cheer to many and disappointment to some.
Uma A.S., a regular commuter from Besant Nagar to Anna Nagar Roundtana, is among the happy lot. Her travel time has been reduced by at least 20 minutes ever since bus route 47 was introduced at Besant Nagar depot.
“There was no direct bus to Roundtana from Besant Nagar, so I had to go to Thiruvanmiyur or T. Nagar to catch a bus that did. Also 5E, the only bus from the depot, goes only to CIT Nagar, so it was tough getting a connecting bus to my workplace,” says Uma, who works for a private company at Anna Nagar.
MTC recently re-organised some routes to meet the demands of passengers. 47A, which travels from Besant Nagar to ICF, Ayanavaram, was changed to bus route 47, which now travels from the Besant Nagar depot to Villivakkam. There are now 18 such services on bus route 47. The change in routes is aimed at helping people who travel to localities in the northern parts of the city for work. This move has however disappointed a small section of commuters travelling to places between Taylors Road and Ayanavaram Water Tank as the new route skips these areas, says an MTC driver. Similarly, T70, introduced during the Anna University counselling, has been made a regular route, stretching from Thiruvanmiyur to CMBT via Adyar depot and Guindy. Twelve such services of T70 are plying. PP19, a cut service from Thiruvanmiyur to Kovalam, was also renamed as 109. According to an MTC official, additional bus routes are created based on feedback from commuters and the consumer forum. “We then take a field study in the area and determine its necessity. Later, a test run on a route is done for a few weeks,” said the official.
For grievances to the MTC, email feedback@mtc.org.
