In a bid to use its fleet of small buses efficiently, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) plans to hand over some vehicles to other transport corporations to be deployed at tourist spots.
There are around 200 small buses with the MTC. Due to the competition from share autorickshaws, many of them do not fetch a good revenue.
“After COVID-19, most buses aren’t seeing good occupancy rates,” an MTC official said. Therefore, the MTC is planning to hand them over to other corporations. “During the Athi Varadar festival, small buses played a vital role as autorickshaws were fleecing people. Hence, we are planning to give some to Madurai so that they can be operated around the Meenakshi temple. There has been demand from Rameswaram too,” an official said.
He said plying small buses around tourist spots can fetch good revenue. “Even if it is a six-member tourist group, they can easily travel in these buses rather than hiring two auto rickshaws or a car. We will get good revenue,” he added.
Besides, the MTC is studying localities that need such buses for connectivity. “In some areas where buses are already being operated, the demand is poor. Hence operating them on those stretches is a waste of manpower and fuel,” the official added.
