Now, board an SETC bus to Coimbatore from Velachery

Now, board an SETC bus to Coimbatore from Velachery

Ram.Sundaram@ @timesgroup.com

Chennai:22.02.2021

Passengers travelling to Coimbatore and Madurai can now board government deluxe and A/C buses from T Nagar, Velachery, Saidapet and Broadway.

From Monday, those residing in Chennai need not travel to Tambaram or Koyambedu, which were the only two authorised points to board State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) buses, till now. Three ultra-deluxe category buses, which will transport passengers to Tuticorin, Thanjavur and Kumbakonam, will depart from T Nagar between 7pm to 10pm every day. On their way, these buses will pick up passengers in Saidapet, Alandur and Chromepet.

Six buses going to Coimbatore and Madurai will leave from Broadway and reach the city’s suburbs via Adyar, Velachery and the IT corridor.

With operations at the new bus terminus in Kilambakkam expected to begin in six months, SETC is hoping to add more pickup or drop-off points within city limits to attract more passengers.

The proposed terminus is on the Chennai-Trichy highway, 30km from Koyambedu, and its nearest suburban railway station from Kilambakkam is 2km away. “Reaching the city will be a costly affair if passengers choose a cab or an autorickshaw,” said a senior SETC official. “Why make passengers get down at Kilambakkam and choose another MTC bus when the same SETC bus can take them into the city?”

This is expected to reduce fuel usage, the official said. “To transport 60 people, we need one bus which would consume 20 litres of diesel. Otherwise, we need 15 cars, which need 100 litres of diesel, or four vans, which will require 50 litres of diesel or 30 two-wheelers which burn 40 litres of fuel,” the official said.

For travelling to Bengaluru and Kerala, SETC is planning to set up similar pickup points in the city on Poonamallee and Tambaram, the official said.