Chennai, July 4 Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation is all set to buy 1400 buses. Of this, 600 will be low floor buses while the remaining 800 will be mofussil buses. Tender bids have been invited to buy these buses.
These buses will be plying in cities like Madurai, Coimbatore, Tiruchi and Salem as the buses there are in very poor conditions with many buses not having foot boards, some having broken doors and torn and damaged seats.
According to sources in the State Transport Corporation in Madurai region, most of these buses are fit to be scrapped and cannot ply with passengers.
Most of the bus terminals in cities like Madurai, Salem and Tiruchi have huge rush in peak hours and people are not able to even stand on the foot boards of these buses. The sanction for the new buses have come after several court cases and litigations and agitations.
Sources in State Transport Corporation told IANS that there is a need to double the number of buses that are to be bought now as in most of the cities, old buses are creating problems for an effective public transport system.
It is to be noted that buses have not been purchased for the past three years and people are now preferring Metro trains in Chennai. As per a report, Chennai Metro recorded 74 lakh passengers in June 2023 which is almost double of the number of commuters who took the train service in June 2022.
R.K.Krishnan, a transport activist while speaking to IANS said, “The footfall of Metro trains have almost doubled in a year. This means people are using public transport but they have shifted to Metro .Sharing autos have also increased their rates in Chennai. The reason is poorly maintained and old buses from the State Transport Corporation in Chennai city.”
The transport department will be busying 644 low floor buses by the year end for Chennai alone and 1,000 odd old buses are to be refurbished and make them suitable for plying.
--IANS
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