Many unhappy as MTC increases cut services on congested routes
As part of a study to increase the passenger patronage, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has increased cut services on highly congested long-distance routes.
Published: 30th July 2018 04:04 AM |
Image for representational purpose for MTC buses. (EPS file photo)
By B Anbuselvan
Express News Service
CHENNAI:As part of a study to increase the passenger patronage, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has increased cut services on highly congested long-distance routes.About 30 per cent of 5A (T Nagar to Tambaram East) services has been reduced into T Nagar-Madipakkam service, while 99 (Adyar-Tambaram West) has also been reduced and converted into cut services between Adyar and Sholinganallur and between Sholinganallur and Tambaram West.
While the move was dubbed as an effort to cater for more commuters by the MTC, a section of commuters charged that the state transport corporation was minting money indirectly by forcing the commuters to buy two tickets. “The deluxe bus ticket fare from T Nagar to Tambaram East was only `35 in a direct bus. But, we have to spend ` 48 when the cut service gets terminated at Madipakkam as I have to take another bus,” said S Amudhan of T Nagar.
Similarly, A51 (Tambaram East-High Court) and V51 (T Nagar-Tambaram West) routes also have got more cut services from Velachery to Tambaram.“People from Narayanapuram and Medavakkam Colony have only bus services to reach Broadway, Anna Salai and Central railway station. When buses from Tambaram East get terminated at Velachery, we have to wait for another bus to go to Broadway,” said another commuter R Sathish of Narayanapuram.
With the fleet capacity of 3,100 buses, the MTC caters for about 33 lakh commuters in Chennai city and parts of Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts. The buses are operated on 833 routes from 33 depots.
Until January 2018, on an average, a MTC bus operated for about 260 km and carried about 1,200 commuters a day. However, the numbers had fallen below 1,000 passengers recently.
P Balakrishnan, president, State Transport Employees Union (CITU), MTC, justified the decision saying that cut services would reduce the waiting time of passengers on en-route bus stops. “When Guduvanchery or Tambaram-bound buses from Broadway reach Saidapet, they get fully crowded and commuters find no space. The cut services will provide seats, besides increasing the revenue for the MTC,” he said.
A senior official from the MTC said that on an experimental basis, cut services increased in densely-populated areas. “Depending upon the patronage, we will review the services,” said the official.
V Subramaniam, Project Director of Traffic and Transportation Forum in Chennai, said that introducing cut services would control the rush-hour panic. “But, higher ticket fares have forced several lakhs to migrate to trains. For the recent deaths of five rail passengers at St. Thomas Mount, the MTC also should be blamed.”
As part of a study to increase the passenger patronage, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has increased cut services on highly congested long-distance routes.
Published: 30th July 2018 04:04 AM |
Image for representational purpose for MTC buses. (EPS file photo)
By B Anbuselvan
Express News Service
CHENNAI:As part of a study to increase the passenger patronage, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has increased cut services on highly congested long-distance routes.About 30 per cent of 5A (T Nagar to Tambaram East) services has been reduced into T Nagar-Madipakkam service, while 99 (Adyar-Tambaram West) has also been reduced and converted into cut services between Adyar and Sholinganallur and between Sholinganallur and Tambaram West.
While the move was dubbed as an effort to cater for more commuters by the MTC, a section of commuters charged that the state transport corporation was minting money indirectly by forcing the commuters to buy two tickets. “The deluxe bus ticket fare from T Nagar to Tambaram East was only `35 in a direct bus. But, we have to spend ` 48 when the cut service gets terminated at Madipakkam as I have to take another bus,” said S Amudhan of T Nagar.
Similarly, A51 (Tambaram East-High Court) and V51 (T Nagar-Tambaram West) routes also have got more cut services from Velachery to Tambaram.“People from Narayanapuram and Medavakkam Colony have only bus services to reach Broadway, Anna Salai and Central railway station. When buses from Tambaram East get terminated at Velachery, we have to wait for another bus to go to Broadway,” said another commuter R Sathish of Narayanapuram.
With the fleet capacity of 3,100 buses, the MTC caters for about 33 lakh commuters in Chennai city and parts of Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts. The buses are operated on 833 routes from 33 depots.
Until January 2018, on an average, a MTC bus operated for about 260 km and carried about 1,200 commuters a day. However, the numbers had fallen below 1,000 passengers recently.
P Balakrishnan, president, State Transport Employees Union (CITU), MTC, justified the decision saying that cut services would reduce the waiting time of passengers on en-route bus stops. “When Guduvanchery or Tambaram-bound buses from Broadway reach Saidapet, they get fully crowded and commuters find no space. The cut services will provide seats, besides increasing the revenue for the MTC,” he said.
A senior official from the MTC said that on an experimental basis, cut services increased in densely-populated areas. “Depending upon the patronage, we will review the services,” said the official.
V Subramaniam, Project Director of Traffic and Transportation Forum in Chennai, said that introducing cut services would control the rush-hour panic. “But, higher ticket fares have forced several lakhs to migrate to trains. For the recent deaths of five rail passengers at St. Thomas Mount, the MTC also should be blamed.”
No comments:
Post a Comment