As the buses miss north Chennai

Residents complain that there is a shortage of bus services to the region and demand more small buses be allotted for them.

A hassle-free journey to the city and back – this seems to top the list of demands of many north Chennai residents. Due to poor connectivity with rest of the city, most of them struggle to reach their respective destinations on an almost daily basis.

The poor frequency of buses, lack of small buses and congested roads has made the commute a nightmare for many residents in these localities. Though the government introduced 50 small buses in 2013 and 50 more last year, very few were allotted for north Chennai. On an average, over 77,500 persons travel by the 100 small buses daily, generating over Rs. 5 lakh.

Residents demand that the MTC should allot more small buses for their localities when the next batch is rolled out in the coming months. “I haven’t seen a single small bus in the locality. People have to wait for at least 20 minutes to board a regular bus. And most of the vehicles are crowded when they arrive,” said R. Jayaraman, former chairman, Tiruvottiyur municipality.

He claims that even the frequency of suburban trains is poor during non-peak hours. “It is especially difficult to reach places like Ennore after 7 p.m. There are few buses and once they reach Tiruvottiyur, they are operated as cut services,” he added.

Fakhruddin Attarwala, a resident of Royapuram, said there is a need for more small buses as the whole of north Chennai is congested. “It is not easy for big buses to ply in these areas and autorickshaws charge hefty amounts to ply even a short distance,” he explained.

C. Noordeen, who is part of Makkal Urumai Padhukappu Maiyam, said once Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced that she will contest from R.K. Nagar constituency, the roads were improved. “Since encroachments on some roads were cleared, MTC buses are able to ply with ease. Otherwise, they find it difficult due to the narrow stretches and heavy traffic. We need more small buses that can meander through narrow lanes,” he added.

However, senior MTC officials said half of their fleet plies in north Chennai. “Frequency appears to be less due to the heavy traffic and congested roads. Unless there is coordination between Chennai Corporation, MTC and traffic police, things won’t improve,” an official added.