Coimbatore-Mayiladuthurai Jan Shatabdi Express to run with LHB coaches from December 28

Coimbatore-Mayiladuthurai Jan Shatabdi Express to run with LHB coaches from December 28

The important features of LHB coaches are that they can be operated at higher speeds and have a higher passenger capacity than the conventional coaches. Special Arrangement

The Hindu Bureau

TIRUCHI  21.12.2024

The Coimbatore-Mayiladuthurai-Coimbatore Jan Shatbadi Express (12084/83) will run with LHB (Linke Hofmann Busch) coaches from December 28.

The LHB coaches are deployed to enhance safety and ensure a comfortable journey for passengers. The trains will be operated with two AC chair cars, 18 chair coaches, one second class (Divyangjan friendly) coach, and one luggage-cum-brake van.

The important features of LHB coaches are that they can be operated at high speed and have a higher passenger capacity than the conventional coaches. They are lighter compared to the conventional coaches and have aesthetically superior interiors and require less maintenance.

Each coach has an advanced pneumatic disc brake system for efficient braking at high speed. Improved suspension system of LHB coaches provides more riding comfort to passengers. They have fire retardant material for furnishing and their air-conditioning system is of higher capacity, a railway press release said.

Soon, you can buy tickets for MTC buses with NCMC

Soon, you can buy tickets for MTC buses with NCMC

 Ram.Sundaram@timesofindia.com 19.12.2024

Chennai : MTC will soon enable passengers to buy tickets for its buses using the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC). Payment through NCMC is already functional on handheld electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) provided to conductors. By tapping the card on ETM readers, passengers can pay fares directly from their card balance. NCMCs can be recharged online or at designated counters and offer seamless travel across buses, metros, and other transport modes nationwide. This initiative aligns with Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), which has integrated the ‘Singara Chennai’ card into its ticket vending machines and booking systems. CMRL offers a 20% discount on fares for transactions made through NCMCs, UPI, WhatsApp. However, transportation activist K Anbalagan said that MTC must offer discounts for paperless transactions and conduct extensive advertising to raise awareness about UPI apps. “Most MTC passengers belong to lower-middle-class or economically weaker sections. A large-scale campaign is essential to encourage them to adopt these digital payment methods,” he said. TNN

Strict Liability On Railways To Compensate Kin Of Deceased Who Fell From Train After Mistakenly Travelling Beyond Destination: Karnataka HC

Strict Liability On Railways To Compensate Kin Of Deceased Who Fell From Train After Mistakenly Travelling Beyond Destination: Karnataka HC

Mustafa Plumber

10 Dec 2024 12:37 AM

The Karnataka High Court has upheld an order of the Railway Tribunal granting compensation to the claimants of a deceased passenger who had fallen from the train after mistakenly travelling beyond his destination station.

Justice H P Sandesh dismissed an appeal filed by South Western Railways, challenging the order dated December 28, 2010, granting compensation of Rs 4 lakh along with interest to A Mohan.

He said, "The deceased might have fallen while trying to get down and in that process he could have received injuries, which the fact is in line with the statement of witnesses and also the post mortem report. The fact that the deceased was travelling in the train is not in dispute, but only mistakenly he traveled beyond destiny and also the Apex Court in the Prabhakaran's case also held that principles of strict liability applies, the defendant has to pay damages for injury caused to the plaintiff, even though the defendant may not have been at any fault"

He added “Section 124(a) of the Railway's Act, casts a strict liability on the railway even if the deceased died due to his own fault and the railway is liable to pay compensation. Even travel beyond his destiny, the same cannot be ground to discard the claim of the claimants.”

On February 14, 2009 the deceased had purchased one journey ticket from Whitefield to Kuppam and boarded the train Mysore-Tirupati passenger.

Since, the train was heavily crowded and that when the train reached Kuppam railway station due to the incoming and outgoing passengers the deceased could not get down at Kuppram station but tried to reach the doorway and in the meantime due to sudden jerk and jolt of the train travelling between Kuppam and Mallanur railway station, he accidentally slipped and fallen down from the train, sustained serious injuries and died on the spot.

The railways raised a sole contention that the deceased is not a bonafide passenger and the deceased was holding a ticket to travel from Whitefield to Kuppam and his body was lying beyond Kuppam railway station and that itself shows that the deceased is not a bonafide passenger. Hence, the claimants are not entitled for any compensation.

The bench referred to Apex court judgment in the case of Union of India V/s Prabhakaran Vijayakumar and other (2008) wherein it was held that since the provisions for compensation in the railways act is a beneficial piece of legislation, it should receive a liberal and wider interpretation and not a narrow and technical one. The passenger who has traveled beyond his destination in such a situation would be covered within the definition of the passenger with a valid ticket.

The court observed, “With the advance of industrialization, the Laissez Faire Theory was gradually replaced by the theory of the Welfare State, and in legal parlance there was a corresponding shift from positivism to sociological jurisprudence and the Court has to take note of liberal approach and the same was taken note of by the Railway Tribunal.”

It said that in Prabhakaran Vijayakumar's case it was also held that even if a passenger travel's beyond his destiny, the same cannot be ground to discard the claim of the claimants. In view of the same the court found no error in the Tribunal's order in allowing the claim and granting compensation to the deceased's kin.

Accordingly it dismissed the appeal.

Appearance: Advocate H Shanthi Bhushan for Appellant.

Citation No: 2024 LiveLaw (Kar) 503

Case Title: UnIon of India AND A Mohan & ANR

Case No: MISCELLANEOUS FIRST APPEAL NO.2556/2011

Passengers create ruckus on board Shanti Express over missing belongings

Passengers create ruckus on board Shanti Express over missing belongings 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  07.12.2024

Ahmedabad : Passengers in the First AC coach of the Shanti Express, travelling from Indore to Ahmedabad, were shocked when women travellers discovered that their belongings were missing. A commotion ensued when railway protection force officials declined to record complaints whilst the train was in motion, insisting passengers must alight at a station to do so. Officials were unwilling to stop the train for complaint registration.

The incident occurred around 3.30am, between Nagda and Ujjain, when a woman passenger noticed her purse and bag were missing. She alerted other passengers. Himangini Kalantri, another passenger of the AC coach, stated, “I heard noise outside my compartment. A woman passenger was looking for her stuff, her bag, and purse, as everything went missing. As other passengers started gathering near her seat, an attendant came and informed us that he found a bag in the washroom.” Kalantri added, “Usually, when I travel alone, I prefer the First AC coach as it is safe.” After recovering the items, passengers attempted to report the incident on the railway complaint number. However, the responding officers were uncooperative. The ticket checker and officials instead criticised the passengers for not securing their compartment from inside. 

According to Kalantri, she contacted the railway complaint platform, while the staff insisted on filing complaints at Ahmedabad. But other passengers refused to continue the journey. “I pulled the chain on four oc casions as we wanted action. After 20 minutes of ruckus, a police officer came to register the complaint,” she explained. Additional bags were discovered in the washrooms during the complaint registration process. “We found six bags in different washrooms, which were probably stolen. It is suspected that if it was happening across all coaches, there was a gang active on the train,” Kalantri said.  She expressed concern about single women travellers being targeted and suggested possible staff involvement, either directly or indirectly, in such incidents. 

Ticketless travellers paid ₹8.7cr in fines 

Ahmedabad : The Ahmedabad division of Western Railway collected Rs 13.46 crore between April and Nov in fines from passengers who were caught during a ticket checking drive and were carrying unauthorised luggage. The railway authorities said that to ensure comfortable travel and better services for all legitimate passengers, intensive ticket checking campaigns were conducted. The Ahmedabad division collected over Rs 8.71 crore from more than 94,600 passengers for ticketless travel. Additionally, Rs 4.70 crore in fines were imposed on around 81,500 unauthorized travellers. “Usually, passengers are required to book heavy luggage in the luggage van, but they travel with such heavy luggage in the train, and hence they were also booked,” said a senior railway official. TNN

Now, take your learner’s licence test from home

Now, take your learner’s licence test from home

Himanshu.Kaushik@timesofindia.com 07.12.2024

Ahmedabad : The state transport department has finally decided to facilitate driving tests for learners from the comfort of their homes or offices. Come Jan, candidates, unlike earlier, will not need to visit Regional Transport Offices or authorised centres for the online test. This applies only to those who have an Aadhaar linked to their mobile phone number. The move comes after extensive testing, officials said. 

The current system of going to RTOs, polytechnics or ITIs will continue. Union Govt mandates that the online test should be made compulsory, allowing individuals to take the test from anywhere. Officials stated that biometrics, specifically face recognition, will be conducted using Aadhaar card data. The system will not capture voice and hence answers dictated to the system will not be detected. Officials noted that in 2024, govt brought down the pass limit. Earlier, a candidate was required to answer 11 questions out of 15 correctly. Now, correct answers to nine questions are enough to clear the test. 

According to officials, 19 states have already implemented the system, but Gujarat was testing the system to ensure it was foolproof, following Maharashtra’s model for implementation. The move will reduce the rush at RTOs, polytechnics and ITIs, said senior officials. “Necessary changes were made by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in Vahan 4.0 and Sarathi 4.0 systems used for vehicle registration and driving licence issuance across the country,” an offici al said. To take the test from home or office, applicants will have to visit ‘https://parivahan.gov.in’. “Before appearing for the test, candidates will have to watch online videos on road safety. Only then can they apply. Those correctly answering 60% of the questions can print a learner’s licence on their own,” the official explained. Those failing can attempt the test again in a similar manner following rules. 

“Those who don’t want to opt for a test through Aadhaar can take the test using the existing procedure,” the official sai

Taxi guided by Google Maps falls of bridge, 3 people killed

Taxi guided by Google Maps falls of bridge, 3 people killed

 Kanwardeep.Singh@timesofindia.com 25.11.2024

Bareilly : Three men from Uttar Pradesh died when their taxi plunged off an incomplete bridge in Faridpur on Saturday night while travelling from Gurugram to Bareilly. Police said they were using navigation app, Google Maps, to navigate from Dataganj (Budaun) to Faridpur via Khallpur but were unaware the bridge over the Ramganga river was incomplete. 

On Sunday morning, Khallpur villagers spotted the car under the incomplete bridge and informed the police. Faridpur SHO Rahul Singh checked the victims’ mobile phones and found that they were navigating with Google Maps. He said, “We recovered the identity card of a Gurugrambased security company in the car. The victims were then identified as Nitin Kumar, 30, his cousins Ajit Kumar, 35, and Amit Kumar, 30. Nitin and Ajit, residents of Farrukhabad, worked as drivers for a Gurugram-based security company, while Amit, from Mainpuri, was their distant relative.” The CO also said the bodies have been sent for an autopsy

Amreli farmer gives honourable burial to his beloved hatchback

Amreli farmer gives honourable burial to his beloved hatchback 

FIVE-HOUR SAMADHI FUNCTION CULMINATES WITH DINNER FOR 2,000

Dilip Jiruka 08.11.2024 

Rajkot : All of us have seen police dogs receiving respectable burials as a tribute to their valour in combating terrorists or sniffing out explosives and drugs. In Amreli, however, a farmer's family gave an honourable burial (samadhi) to his beloved car that reached its age. Yes, you heard it right! And it wasn’t a silent sendoff to the hatchback, which the car owner, Sanjay Polra, asserts brought the family immense prosperity and elevated their social standing ever since they drove it out of the showroom in 2006. 

The grand event held in Padarshinga village of Lathi taluka on Thursday was marked by ritualistic prayers to the family deity, after which the car, decked with flowers, was taken out in a procession to the ‘samadhi’ spot on his farm. The function, organised in the presence of saints and local spiritual preachers, culminated with a delectable spread of puris, chapatis, subji, and laddos for all 1,500 villagers and invitees. After hitting upon the ‘samadhi’ idea some days ago, Polra sent out a specially designed four-page invitation to some 2,000 people. 

The invitation read: “This car has been like a family member since 2006, and it brought us good fortunes. We gained prosperity, and our reputation in society was elevated. We want this car in our memory forever, and that's why we have planned a samadhi (burial) of this car.” "I purchased this car in 2006. Ever since I bought it, the vehicle brought my family good luck and elevated our social prestige. I wanted to do something different, so I decided on a respectable adieu in the form of samadhi for the car,” Polra said. The Polra family will offer floral tributes to the memorial on Nov 7 every year. “We will plant trees around the memorial,” said Polra. Vipul Sojitra, a villager, said, "I was amused when he invited me to the samadhi function of a car. The family wanted to do something out of the box for their beloved car.”

Gujarat family gives ‘lucky’ car a sendoff samadhi

Gujarat family gives ‘lucky’ car a sendoff samadhi 

Dilip Jiruka TNN 08.11.2024

Amreli : As epitaphs go, “Born a car, loved like a favourite child” would be an apt one for a memorial to GJ05 CD7924. 

Sanjay Polra and his family, residents of Padarshinga in Lathi taluka of Gujarat’s Amreli, gave their beloved lucky charm a ceremonial send-off to car heaven on Thursday in the presence of the entire village and other invitees. The rituals, complete with a priest reciting Sanskrit shlokas in front of the family deity, were the culmination of a procession with the flower-bedecked hatchback from Polra’s home till the “samadhi” site at his farm. A JCB backhoe was requisitioned to cover the car’s final resting place with earth once it had been lowered there.

 “This car has been like a family member since we drove it out of a showroom in 2006. It brought us for tune. We gained prosperity, and our stature in society went up several notches. We want this car stored in our memories forever,” Polra wrote in the fourpage invitation sent out to 2,000-odd guests. The invitees were served a spread of puri, chapati, subji, and laddoos. Polra said he intended to plant trees around the memorial to his silver hatchback. “I wanted to do something different, so I settled on this send-off. 

We will assemble here on Nov 7 each year to reminisce about all the journeys we took in our favourite car.” Vipul Sojitra, a villager who was witness to the ceremony, said he initially found it amusing that someone would organise a samadhi for a car. “Sanjaybhai is a childhood friend. His family wanted to do something out of the box for their beloved car, and that’s why they held this event,” he said.

Mad rush: Roads out of city gridlocked for 100 km

Mad rush: Roads out of city gridlocked for 100 km 

Traffic Snarl Extends Till Ulundurpet 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  31.10.2024 

Chennai : A large number of people deciding to spend Diwali in their hometowns resulted in back-breaking traffic logjams on roads leading out of the city on Wednesday. Traffic congestion stretched far beyond Perungalathur, Vandalur and Chengalpet, extending upto 100 km till Tindivanam. Vehicles crawled for another 100 km toward Ulundurpet, stuck in queues behind buses and trucks. South-bound cars took five hours to cross this stretch on Tuesday. Over one lakh vehicles passed through the Paranur toll plaza in the last 36 hours, with even more expected on Wednesday night. 

Many travellers started their journey as early as 5 am on Wednesday in hopes of avoiding the crowd, but the bottleneck, which began at Perungalathur on Tuesday night, continued with no end in sight. After the state govt announced that schools would have half-day sessions on Wednesday, many parents opted to leave earlier than planned, adding to the traffic volume. Despite traffic police urging private cars to avoid the GST road and use Old Mahabalipuram Road to reach Chengalpet, many drivers ignored the advice, worsening the chaos along the Kilambakkam stretch.

Although the govt announced highway patrols every ten kilometres, motorists said patrols were minimal after Chengalpet. “Bikers cutting across lanes on national highways, designed for high-speed travel, added to the chaos,” said Arulmurugan, who spent nine hours driving to Madurai. 

Samay Singh Meena, DCP (traffic) in Tambaram, said 440 police officers were deployed to regulate traffic at Kilambakkam and Tambaram, and diversions were introduced at Maduravoyal and Poonamallee from Wednesday afternoon. “Heavy vehicles were restricted from using GST Road,” he added. Over 4.5 lakh passengers departed from Kilambakkam bus terminus in the last three days. Chennai Egmore and Central railway stations were packed too as Southern Railway operated three unreserved special trains to Trichy and Coimbatore to handle the last-minute rush.

Driver an employee, says HC, fines Ola ₹5.5L for inaction on abuse plaint

Driver an employee, says HC, fines Ola ₹5.5L for inaction on abuse plaint

Vasantha.Kumar@timesofindia.com 02.10.2024

Bengaluru : In a landmark judgment, Karnataka high court has ruled that under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (PoSH Act 2013), a driver-subscriber of a transport aggregator is to be considered as its “employee”. In view of this, the court ordered ride-hailing firm Ola to pay Rs 5 lakh as cost and an additional Rs 50,000 as litigation expenses to a woman petitioner-complainant for failing to act on her complaint. 

Justice MGS Kamal, in his judgment delivered on Sept 30, 2024, rejected Ola’s contention that it is merely an “intermediary” and partially allowed the petition filed by a woman from Bengaluru. Furthermore, the judge directed Ola’s Internal Complaint Committee to conduct an inquiry into the complaint dated Sept 30, 2018, in accordance with the provisions of the PoSH Act, 2013, and submit the report to the district officer within 90 days. 

The court also found the officers in charge of Karnataka State Transport Authority guilty of deliberate inaction and negligence in discharging their statutory obligations, imposing a penalty of Rs 1 lakh, payable to the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority within 30 days. 

‘No jurisdiction’,  Firm, plaint panel claimed they had no jurisdiction to take action against driver 

The case dates back to Aug 23, 2018, when the complainant, a regular user of Ola, booked a taxi through the platform to commute from her residence in Yelahanka to her office in JP Nagar here. During the ride, she noticed the driver staring at her through the rear-view mirror in an uncomfortable manner. Much to her shock and horror, she then saw him watching a pornographic video clip on his phone, even as he was masturbating. Despite her repeated requests to stop the vehicle, the driver refused and insisted on dropping her at her destination. She finally managed to exit the taxi only near her workplace. 

Upon reaching office, the petitioner lodged a complaint against the driver on the Ola platform. However, although Ola executives informed her that the driver concerned had been “blacklisted” and would be sent for counselling and further training, the petitioner was not satisfied with the response and sought further action. Ola attempted to persuade her to close the complaint, but she remained firm in her demand for substantive punitive measures. Ola management and ICC claimed they had no jurisdiction to take any further action against the driver as there was no employer-employee relationship, and the actual perpetrator was an impostor who was not even authorised to drive the vehicle in question. However, the court rejected these arguments

Passengers drenched as rainwater leaks through roof of TNSTC bus

Passengers drenched as rainwater leaks through roof of TNSTC bus

Rainwater leaks inside a TNSTC bus in Madurai on Tuesday.

The Hindu Bureau

MADURAI  02.10.2024 

Passengers onboard a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus in Madurai on Tuesday had to cover their heads while travelling from Melur to Sekkipatti as rainwater started leaking inside from several holes on the bus roof.

The TNSTC bus started from Melur bus stand around 6 p.m. and within a few minutes it started raining, said Jeeva, a passenger from Kesampatti. As the rain continued for about 10 minutes, water started leaking from some of the holes on the roof and window corners.

When the rain turned intense, all holes started leaking water. Passengers, who initially stood up from their seats to avoid getting wet, were left with no option other than to cover their heads before getting fully drenched, he added.

While elderly passengers covered their heads with cloth and hands, mothers covered infants with their saree and shawls. The incident was just a precursor to what was yet to comewhen the northeast monsoon started in the middle of October. A similar problem existed in TNSTC buses operated in routes such as Sekkipatti, Sirukudi and Kunnarampatti

“Some repair works to prevent leakage should be carried out before the onset of the northeast monsoon as thousands of people from villages are dependent on government buses,” he said.

Namakkal-Kannanur Road widening may reduce travel time to Chennai

Namakkal-Kannanur Road widening may reduce travel time to Chennai

Crucial link: Already, some stretches of Namakkal-Kannanur-Thuraiyur-Perambalur Road have been developed bringing relief to the regular commuters.

 SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

In the first phase, a stretch of 9.2 km in Senthamangalam Assembly constituency in Namakkal district will be developed as a two-lane road with paved shoulders at an estimated cost of ₹40 crore and the road is the main route for those travelling between Namakkal and Perambalur

S. Ganesan

TIRUCHI

The State Highways Department has decided to widen and strengthen a section of the Namakkal-Kannanur-Thuraiyur Road in a phased manner.

In the first phase, a stretch of 9.2 km in Senthamangalam Assembly constituency in Namakkal district will be developed as a two-lane road with paved shoulders at an estimated cost of ₹40 crore, sources in the Highways Department told The Hindu.

Phased development

The remaining section of the road in the constituency will be developed in a phased manner.

The 56-km-long Namakkal-Thuraiyur Road runs for a length of about 26 km in Namakkal district and of this, about 4.6 km has been widened, according to sources.

A Government Order for widening and strengthening the road has been issued and administrative sanction granted. The department would soon seek technical sanction for the project after drawing up the estimates.

According to official sources, the Namakkal-Kannanur-Thuraiyur Road will offer a shorter route for people travelling from Namakkal to Chennai via Thuraiyur and Perambalur in comparison to the Namakkal-Salem-Ulundurpet-Chennai route.

Going via Thuraiyur will help reduce the travel time significantly and bring in attendant benefits such as less fuel consumption and vehicle emissions, the official said.

The road is the main route for those travelling between Namakkal and Perambalur.

It caters to a large number of “working population” who commute by the road and accidents, especially those involving two-wheelers, are frequent. Widening the road is expected to help check accidents.

Move welcomed

Welcoming the move, N. Saravanan, a road safety of Thuraiyur, said once the road was strengthened passenger and goods vehicles would get a shorter route to Chennai via Thuraiyur and Perambalur from Namakkal.

Already some stretches of the Namakkal-Kannanur-Thuraiyur-Perambalur road have been developed and only the remaining portion needed to be strengthened, he observed.

Toll hike from Sept 1 to push up travel costs

Toll hike from Sept 1 to push up travel costs

 TIMES NEWS NETWORK 

Chennai : Starting September 1, travelling by car from Chennai to Bengaluru or southern and western districts of Tamil Nadu will cost more, with tolls increasing by ₹30 to₹115 at over 25 plazas across the state. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has revised toll rates, raising the cost for a trip from Chennai to Bengaluru from ₹430 to ₹460. This annual revision comes in the wake of growing demands to remove toll plazas, particularly those within urban limits. 

Despite a request from state highways minister E V Velu to the NHAI, an agency under the Union Road Transport Ministry, no action has been taken. Transportation activist S Kamal criticised the hike as an “unnecessary burden” on the public, citing incomplete road widening projects and damaged stretches on highways, especially around Chennai. “As the monsoon approaches, essential repairs including patchwork to fix potholes remain unfinished. “In areas such as Red Hills on the Chennai-Tada Kolkata highway, incomplete stormwater drain construction has previously cau sed severe traffic gridlocks during monsoon,” he said. S Ganesh, a resident from Singaperumalkoil, raised concern about the lack of basic infrastructure such as adequate lighting on accident-prone stretches of Chennai-Trichy highway. 

Despite numerous complaints, these issues persist while tolls continue to be collected without significant reinvestment on road maintenance. NHAI data reveals that toll collections in Tamil Nadu amount to at least ₹4,221 crore annually, with the Thopur plaza alone collecting ₹269 crore. Traders have cautioned that the toll hike will have a cascading effect on the prices of essential goods, while private bus operators are likely to hike ticket fares in response. 

Toll operators claim that despite a decade of operation, they still haven’t recovered 40% of costs spent on road construction and maintenance, necessitating the toll hike to cover expenses and ensure employee wages.

Go digital: No need for exact tender in MTC, SETC buses in Chennai

Go digital: No need for exact tender in MTC, SETC buses in Chennai

Transport Secretary Phanindra Reddy said the UPI payment system will soon be extended to TNSTC buses.

Udhayanidhi Stalin distributing electronic ticketing machines to conductors in the presence of Transport Minister S S Sivasankar at a function in Guindy | express

B Anbuselvan

Updated on:29 Feb 2024, 7:42 am

CHENNAI: Commuters in Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) and the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) buses can pay for their tickets through UPI, credit, or debit cards from now on. Launching the cashless payment system on Wednesday, Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin distributed 26 electronic ticketing machines (ETM) to conductors in the presence of Transport Minister S S Sivasankar at a function held in Guindy.

During the same event, he also flagged off 50 BS VI non-AC buses for MTC that were purchased for Rs 20 crore and launched the home delivery of new driving licences, renewed licences, registration certificates and other vehicle and transport-related documents to applicants.

Alby John Varghese, Managing Director, MTC, told TNIE that the digital payment system will be rolled out on 129 buses operating from the Central bus depot from Thursday onwards. “Within the next two to three weeks, all MTC buses will be equipped with the cashless payment system,” he said.

Varghese further said that the initial batch of 50 new buses for MTC arrived on Wednesday, and 50 more are expected to arrive soon. “These 100 buses will be distributed among eight to nine depots, improving connectivity to the new Kilambakkam terminus and other areas. Additionally, the number of services via Chennai bypass (CMBT - KCBT) will be increased,” he added. MTC operates buses on 696 routes with a fleet capacity of 3,150 vehicles and carries around 31 lakh to 32 lakh commuters a day.

Official sources from SETC said, “Electronic ticketing machines have been introduced on buses running to Rameswaram, Gudalur, and Kanniyakumari from Chennai. Following a trial period, this system will be expanded to all routes in the coming days. Travellers will be able to make payments using credit and debit cards, as well as UPI applications.” The SETC carries about 75,000 commuters a day with a fleet strength of over 800 buses.

The implementation of electronic payment systems in public transport corporations in the state has long been overdue. Difficulties in tendering exact change for ticket fares had many times led to verbal altercations between commuters and conductors. In response to numerous complaints, on November 1 last year, the MTC issued a circular specifically instructing conductors not to demand exact change from commuters during the journey.

Explaining the ordeal, an MTC bus conductor said, “The problem of demanding exact fare was a result of lower denomination currencies (Rs 10, Rs 20, and Rs 50) and coins becoming scarce among commuters. Small vendors and street traders have also largely shifted to UPI as ATMs mostly dispense only Rs 200 and Rs 500 notes. This cashless payment transition will benefit both bus crew and travellers.”

Transport Secretary Phanindra Reddy said the UPI payment system will soon be extended to TNSTC buses.

சென்னை மாநகர பஸ்களில் யு.பி.ஐ. மூலம் டிக்கெட் பெறும் வசதி அறிமுகம்

 சென்னை மாநகர பஸ்களில் யு.பி.ஐ. மூலம் டிக்கெட் பெறும் வசதி அறிமுகம்

 தினத்தந்தி பிப்ரவரி 28, 4:00 pm 

 இனி சென்னை மாநகர பஸ்களில் யு.பி.ஐ. மூலம

https://www.dailythanthi.com/News/State/introduction-of-ticketing-facility-through-upi-in-chennai-city-buses-1095431

TRAFFIC DIVERSION CHENNAI

 

BUSES FOR PONGAL 2023

 

Skywalk at new Kilambakkam mofussil terminus?

The new mofussil bus terminus in Kilambakkam could get a rail link via a skywalk, as the State government is considering the feasibility of this, official sources have said.

Published: 10th September 2022 06:18 AM |

The bus terminus is set to be launched by December | martin louis

By C Shivakumar

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The new mofussil bus terminus in Kilambakkam could get a rail link via a skywalk, as the State government is considering the feasibility of this, official sources have said. The bus terminus, built at a cost of Rs 393.74 crore to improve connectivity to south Tamil Nadu, could face accessibility issues as passengers would have to depend on Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses to get there. It is expected to be inaugurated by December end.

The initial September deadline promised by Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) member secretary Anshul Mishra after the Assembly session could not be met. A feasibility study is being conducted to build a skywalk linking the bus terminus to the Vandalur station.

While efforts are on to meet the December deadline, officials are looking at various alternatives to improve connectivity from the outskirts to the city. With the Chennai Metro Rail expansion from Chennai Airport to Kilambakkam unlikely to materialise in the next couple of years, the State is now looking at providing a rail link to help commuters reach the city quickly, sources said.

It is learnt that Indian Railways is examining the possibility of building an additional platform that could be linked to the proposed skywalk. Sources said the Railways is particular about the space required. But the government seems keen to start the work before the bus terminus is inaugurated and the Railways concurs.

The skywalk and additional platform at Vandalur station will take nine months to build. This platform will cater only to suburban trains, said sources. Kilambakkam could become the next transport hub, with the State government conducting a feasibility study on linking Phase-II of Chennai Metro Rail’s Corridor 3 (between Madhavaram and Siruseri) with Kelambakkam and Kilambakkam.

As for the proposal for a Metro link between Kilambakkam and the airport, the stretch has not yet been considered under the second phase of the Chennai Metro. Sources said it will be included in this phase, but funding issues could delay the project.

BUS INFO

 

KILMABAKKAM BUS TERMINUS BY SEPTEMBER