Soon the entire fleet of the eight State Transport Corporations (STCs) would be fitted with closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras to enhance the security of women commuters.
Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, presenting the budget for 2020-21, said that CCTV cameras would be installed in around 19,500 buses at a cost of ₹75.02 crore under the Nirbhaya Fund.
The government has allotted a total of ₹2,716.26 crore to the Transport Department for purchase of new buses, electric buses, compensation for diesel price hike and reimbursement for free bus passes to students.
Electronic ticketing
The Department is also readying the electronic ticketing system, where commuters would be able to book tickets online.
The State government has made a provision of ₹960 crore for purchasing 2,213 new buses with Bharat Stage VI compliant engines at a cost of ₹1,580 crore. With an average age of 6.58 years, the government has signed an agreement with KfW for funding the project for purchasing the new buses.
Also the Department would be finalising the contractor for purchasing 525 electric buses under the FAME India II Project, for which tenders were floated last year.
Besides Chennai, the e-buses would be allotted to eight other cities — Coimbatore (100), Tiruchi (100), Madurai (100), Erode (50), Tiruppur (50), Salem (50), Vellore (50), and Thanjavur (25).
