The Guduvancherry bus terminus looks sprawling but is of little use to commuters. As a good number of buses do not enter the terminus, people can often be seen waiting outside the facility.
Buses heading towards Mahindra World City and Chennai International Airport do not enter the terminus, forcing commuters to wait at the intersecting area of Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road and the service lane.
Inside, the terminus is halting points for Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation Limited, Villupuram, and State Express Transport Corporation Limited buses heading towards Trichy, Kumbakonam, Chengalpattu and Gingee.
The terminus does not have adequate amenities like bus shelters or waiting area for people to wait. It is common sight to see commuters taking shelter under a juice stall or at a seating area of an auto stand. As the halting point extends from the intersecting area till the exit gate of the Guduvancherry bus terminus, commuters feel it can easily accommodate better amenities.
By not having adequate amenities, commuters say they are putting people at risk. At the halting point towards Chennai International Airport, commuters have to stand on the carriageway of the National Highway.
“Motorists entering the service lane from GST Road come close to the pedestrians,” says K. Muthuraman, a commuter. Also, share autorickshaws halt at the stop, forcing bus drivers to stop much ahead.
“The buses stop ahead of the designated stopping point. As a result, many commuters have to run on the highway,” says P. Theyagarajan, a commuter and a resident of Guduvancherry.
Commuters want the National Highways Authority of India and the Kancheepuram District Collectorate to look into these issues.
