With AC buses having been introduced on some routes in Chennai, there is widespread expectation from various parts of the city. They have their views about how and where they should ply. Commuters-residents living in areas along Medavakkam Main Road say the services of the air-conditioned route number buses should be dependable.
At present, the commuters wait for more than half-an-hour to get their buses go to Koyambedu, T. Nagar and Broadway. At present, a good number of commuters travel by Metro rail to go to Koyambedu and other places across the city, they say. So, for AC buses to make an impact this time around, they have to be dependable.
R. Sriram, a long-time resident of Nanganallur, says, “Whether the Metropolitan Transport Corporation introduces air-conditioned or deluxe route number buses is immaterial. The services should be dependable and should not force commuters to wait for 45 minutes to an hour. Due to poor bus services, commuters often have to travel by an auto to reach the nearest Metro Rail or suburan railway station. Buses should be introduced in Guindy and Saidapet from Velachery, Nanganallur, and Keezhkattalai bus terminuses through Thillai Ganga Nagar, Pazhavanthangal and Nanganallur.”
For example, the services of 154V, which plies between Nanganallur and Poonamallee, ARE operated once in two hours. On Sundays, there are literally no services.
The services of the air-conditioned route number buses should be operated around Metro rail and railway stations, every 15 to 20 minutes.
On the new AC bus services that have been introduced, V. Rama Rao, director, Traffic and Transportation Forum, Chennai, says, “The fare structure has been revised and reduced. Plying of buses towards Broadway through Mount Road and Kamarajar Salai, Triplicane and Porur will be a boon to the commuters."
