CHENNAI: Chennai Metro Rail will begin its share auto and shared cab service at a few selected stations from Saturday. The idea is to improve last mile connectivity for passengers. Due to lack of public transport near the Metro stations, this comes as a relief for thousands of passengers who find it difficult to reach their next destination. This feeder service which will be available at selected stations from 6.30 am to 9.30 pm is implemented by CMRL on a trial basis for six months.
Eight stations including Ashok Nagar, Alandur, Ekkattuthangal, Guindy, Koyambedu, St. Thomas Mount, Little Mount/Nandanam and Thirumangalam/Anna Nagar Tower metro stations are identified for share auto feeder service, said the press note released by CMRL. “Passenger flow is more in these select stations and they are also the ones, who lack connectivity to public transport. Based on the response we get for the feeder service, we will implement this system in other stations as well,” said an official.
Using these services, passengers can travel up to 3 kms at Rs 15 for cabs and Rs 10 for share autos. Similarly, the cab services are planned for five stations including Koyambedu, Alandur, Anna Nagar East, AG DMS and Vadapalani metro stations. “We have signed tenders with private cab companies and have also spoken to share auto unions to avail their service. If the demand increases, we will increase the frequency of cabs and share autos from once in every half an hour to 10 minutes,” said the official.
Though this effort by CMRL will now largely increase the options of transport for passengers, space to temporarily park these share autos and cabs is limited to outside Metro stations. “We have planned in a way that we can avoid traffic snarls outside the station. Also we already have Ola cab connectivity in 11 stations,” added the official.
Shared auto feeder service Eight stations including Ashok Nagar, Alandur, Ekkattuthangal, Guindy, Koyambedu, St. Thomas Mount, Little Mount/Nandanam and Thirumangalam/Anna Nagar Tower metro stations are identified for share auto feeder service, said the press note released by Chennai Meto Rail Limited