Erratic small bus services hit last-mile connectivity in Chennai
The small buses were introduced in 2013 by then late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
Published: 01st June 2019 06:57 AM
Passengers say irregular small bus services have forced them to look for other alternatives | d sampathkumar
By JAYAKUMAR MADALA
Express News Service
CHENNAI: For a brief period after their introduction, small buses were an instant hit. People who were earlier dependant on autos or share autos for last mile connectivity started preferring the new buses. But they are no longer an option because of their irregular service.
The small buses were introduced in 2013 by then late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. As many as 189 buses and 82 routes were introduced to provide public transport facilities to the nearest bus stands or railway station. However, a sharp decline in the number of trips and irregular frequency, are factors that are forcing the public to look for other alternatives.
“I used to travel in the S13 (Guindy Race Course- Velachery MRTS) route before. But for a month, the frequency of the bus has reduced so much that now I am using private autos because I am not sure whether the bus will arrive,” says Abirami Gunasekar, an office goer.
The small buses have been preferred as they charge `9 for a trip. “I use the S26 (Ashok Nagar Metro Railway station-Valasaravakkam) route every day to reach different houses I work in the stretch. But now, a lot of my time goes in waiting for the bus rather than working,” says Sarala, a domestic servant.
A common reason for the reduction in services among officials in various MTC depots in the city, has been bad patronage. “We had as many as 20 trips a day earlier, but now we have only 6 trips — three in the morning and three in the evening, as we do not have enough passengers to even fill the seats,” says an official in the Mandavelli bus depot.
“Only if the buses are regular, we can trust them to come and wait. If they come on different times on different days, how can we use them regularly? We will be late for our work,” adds Abirami.When Express tried contacting MTC authorities to inquire about the reason for the reduction in services, they were unavailable for comments.
The small buses were introduced in 2013 by then late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
Published: 01st June 2019 06:57 AM
Passengers say irregular small bus services have forced them to look for other alternatives | d sampathkumar
By JAYAKUMAR MADALA
Express News Service
CHENNAI: For a brief period after their introduction, small buses were an instant hit. People who were earlier dependant on autos or share autos for last mile connectivity started preferring the new buses. But they are no longer an option because of their irregular service.
The small buses were introduced in 2013 by then late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. As many as 189 buses and 82 routes were introduced to provide public transport facilities to the nearest bus stands or railway station. However, a sharp decline in the number of trips and irregular frequency, are factors that are forcing the public to look for other alternatives.
“I used to travel in the S13 (Guindy Race Course- Velachery MRTS) route before. But for a month, the frequency of the bus has reduced so much that now I am using private autos because I am not sure whether the bus will arrive,” says Abirami Gunasekar, an office goer.
The small buses have been preferred as they charge `9 for a trip. “I use the S26 (Ashok Nagar Metro Railway station-Valasaravakkam) route every day to reach different houses I work in the stretch. But now, a lot of my time goes in waiting for the bus rather than working,” says Sarala, a domestic servant.
A common reason for the reduction in services among officials in various MTC depots in the city, has been bad patronage. “We had as many as 20 trips a day earlier, but now we have only 6 trips — three in the morning and three in the evening, as we do not have enough passengers to even fill the seats,” says an official in the Mandavelli bus depot.
“Only if the buses are regular, we can trust them to come and wait. If they come on different times on different days, how can we use them regularly? We will be late for our work,” adds Abirami.When Express tried contacting MTC authorities to inquire about the reason for the reduction in services, they were unavailable for comments.
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