TNSTC buses in Trichy start getting crowded

TNSTC buses in Trichy start getting crowded

Deepak.Karthik@timesgroup.com

09.06.2020

Trichy: A week after TNSTC (Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation) resumed services, Trichy region has witnessed a two-fold increase in passenger footfall. Although ensuring social distancing has become an uphill task for TNSTC crew, passengers were found tendering exact change for purchasing travel tickets to avoid cash exchange due to Covid-19 scare.

TNSTC Trichy operates 180 city buses and 150 mofussil buses covering seven central districts. For the districts in other TNSTC zones, the buses are operated till the borders of Trichy district with Karur, Namakkal, Madurai and Dindigul districts.

As labourers from central districts heading to textile units in Tirupur and Karur are gradually increasing, TNSTC said that Trichy-Karur buses operated till Pettaivaithalai has witnessed a drastic surge in footfall. Buses on other routes such as Trichy-Thanjavur have also seen increased patronage due to office goers.

“From 10-15 passengers per bus from the origin point of the service, the number has increased to 25 per bus within a week. Police support was sought whenever we need to control unruly passengers,” a senior official with TNSTC Trichy said.

Crew members of mofussil TNSTC fleets said that passengers are bringing exact change for tickets, an unusual practice prior to the lockdown. “Passengers tender the exact change as they don’t want the cash or coins in our possession since the money would have come from many hands,” a conductor on Trichy-Pettaivaithalai bus added.

As there is a surge in patronage so is the difficulty in maintaining social distancing. Though the buses at the station of origin manage to ensure social distancing, it becomes difficult at intermediate bus stops with many passengers waiting. Such difficulties are not witnessed by point-to-point buses. “Though all the passengers wear facemasks, they confront us if we insist them not to sit too close,” another TNSTC crew member added.

Since private city and mofussil buses are not being operated in Trichy, a TNSTC official said that the patronage for buses is gradually increasing each day.

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