With the resumption of omni bus services in the State, around 30 buses from the Omni Bus Terminus at Gandhipuram in the city were operated to various destinations within the State on Friday.
N. Senthilkumar, secretary of Coimbatore Omni Bus Owners and Travels Association, said that around 100 buses were ready for plying in Coimbatore. “We expect only around 50 % occupancy. Only non-AC omni buses will be operated to districts such as Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchi and Nagercoil,” he said.
All omni buses stopped operations in March following the COVID-19-induced lockdown. R. Baskaran, president of Tamil Nadu Omni Bus Owners Association Coimbatore, said that the omni buses that were registered in Puducherry and plying within the State had not resumed operations yet due to a case pending in the Madras High Court.
The buses at the Gandhipuram Omni Bus Terminus were cleaned and disinfected ahead of its operations on Friday. Transport Department officials said that motor vehicle inspectors from the four Regional Transport Offices checked the buses for adherence to COVID-19 precautionary measures and other violations.
The inspectors will check the terminus again on Monday morning as more passengers from other parts of the State are expected to travel to Coimbatore over the weekend, according to the officials.
