CHENNAI: Ahead of Deepavali, 1.12 lakh commuters travelled from Chennai to various parts of the state by government bus on Tuesday. The state transport department operated services from three main termini: CMBT, Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT), and Madhavaram Mofussil Bus Terminus (MMBT).
“In addition to the scheduled 2,092 buses, 369 special buses were operated from the three termini on Tuesday,” said R Mohan, Managing Director of the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC).
Out of the 4.25 lakh seats/berths available for reservation through SETC, TNSTC’s Villupuram division, and five other corporations, 33% have been booked for travel from October 28 to 30. SETC officials noted that the number of reserved seats has slightly increased compared to last year, although most commuters still prefer to travel without reservations.
Officials mentioned that due to enhanced facilities and connecting bus and train services, mofussil buses will operate only from CMBT, MMBT, and KCBT. Buses will not run from Poonamallee, K K Nagar bus stand, or other temporary stands, used during the Deepavali season in the past, due to traffic congestion and the metro construction.
The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) announced that 300 special buses will run from various parts of the city to transport people to the three bus termini.
Meanwhile, Southern Railway announced a special train to manage the extra rush for Deepavali. The Tambaram-Manamadurai festival special will depart from Tambaram at 5 pm on October 30 and arrive in Manamadurai at 3.45 am the next day. For the return, the Manamadurai-Tambaram festival special will depart from Manamadurai at 11.45 am on October 31 and reach Tambaram at 11.10 pm the same day.