CHENNAI: Velankanni, a pilgrim centre and a tourist destination, has got the third air-conditioned bus connectivity with Chennai.
The SETC has diverted the Chennai - Rameswaram (166) AC bus via Puducherry and Velankanni, which was hitherto operated via Tiruchy. The decision is attributed to maintain the AC bus’ patronage as SETC recently launched a sleeper AC bus service between Chennai and Keezhakarai.
Earlier, SETC operated two AC buses between Chennai and Velankanni which left Koyambedu bus stand at 5.30 pm, and 10.30 pm respectively. The Chennai - Rameswaram AC bus leaves Koyambedu at 4 pm.
Expectedly, the diversion of the bus has increased the patronage of the bus as there is a huge transportation demand in Chennai - Velankanni route, with few trains to Velanakkani during day hours. The new AC bus leaves Koyambedu at 4 pm for the seven hour journey to Velankanni. This will help a lot of devotees and tourists. The ticket fares are also reasonable,” said K Francis, a regular commuter.
However, on the flip-side, the move has proved costly for Ramanathapuram, Keezhakarai and Rameswaram-bound passengers travelling by the bus. They have to pay an additional `53 as the bus runs an extra 42 km.
“The travel distance has increased to 613 km via Velankanni, while the distance on the old route was 572 km. Now, we have to pay the additional fare to travel in the bus which was mainly introduced to cater to passengers of Ramanthapuram, Keezhakarai, Rameswaram and nearby areas,” rued K Rajanayagam, a native of Keezhakarai.
Better patronage