Small buses may have transformed the transport scene in interior areas but are facing a unique problem – damage due to bad roads.
It was because of this that services on route no. S 47 — between Avadi and Mittnamalli — were stopped a week ago. The buses are now diverted through another locality and people living in and around Mittnamalli have to walk nearly two km to reach the nearest bus terminus or railway station.
G. Anandan, resident of Uzhaipalar Nagar said rains have further damaged the pothole- ridden IAF Main Road. “We have no choice but to get fleeced by autorickshaw drivers. School students are the worst affected as they have to walk the distance,” he said.
Officials of the Avadi Municipality said “The IAF Main Road is not under our control. We have informed Indian Air Force authorities and asked them to repair the road,” said an official.
Similarly, small buses have to ply on bad roads in route no S-43, between Villivakkam and Pudur. “The drivers have to pay if the tyres get damaged,” said K. Natarajan, general secretary of MTC Employees Progressive Union.
Senior MTC officials said small buses are vulnerable to damages as the chassis is low. “In Avadi, we stopped the service due to the bad condition of IAF Road. Our request to the elected representatives to repair the road has not yielded any results. So, we diverted the service,” said the official.
However, in other parts of the city, the demand continues to grow. G.S.Raghupathi, a resident of Kilpauk said they have to walk either to Taylors Road or Purasaiwalkam to board a bus. “It will be very useful if there is a small bus service from Sylvan Lodge Colony to New Avadi Road,” he said.
S. Gosh, a resident of Balaji Nagar Extension in Puzhuthivakkam, said the small bus facility (S-13) is popular, but overcrowded. “Our locality is poorly connected by public transport or share autorickshaws. The residents here want more services,” he added.
