CHENNAI: Despite facing an enormous fund crunch, the transport department has successfully executed key initiatives outlined by minister S S Sivasankar in the 2023-24 budget. The state transport undertakings have managed to implement several welfare schemes without raising ticket fares while ensuring an increase in daily patronage from Rs 15 lakh-18 lakh to Rs 1.75 crore over a year.
Ahead of the 2024-25 budget, commuters and city residents have put forth a range of demands. As per the official data, the per-day loss of state transport undertakings is estimated to be Rs 14.3 crore.
Leveraging technology in public transportation, such as enabling commuters to track the GPS location of MTC / SETC buses via mobile apps, installing CCTV cameras, and announcing bus stoppages through speakers in MTC buses has garnered huge support from commuters. The proposal to introduce UPI payment mode for purchasing tickets is yet to be implemented.
T Sadagopan, a consumer activist from Pattabiram, said the quality of MTC buses is alarmingly poor while emphasising the urgent need for their replacement. He recounted an incident where he was traveling on a deluxe bus, only to have the shock absorber of the rear wheel fall off.
“Even measures to prevent students from hanging onto the footboard have been ineffective,” said Sadagopan.
Alby John Varghese, managing director of MTC, told TNIE that tenders have been initiated for the acquisition of more than 352 low-floor buses. Contracts for an additional 245 ordinary buses are currently in progress.
“Additionally, 100 e-buses are allocated to the MTC. All these new buses are scheduled to be deployed within the next six months,” he said.
Sadagopan questioned why Tamil Nadu alone struggles to implement metered fares for autorickshaws, a system successfully in place in Kerala, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. “The western suburban areas require more small buses to prevent commuters from being fleeced by auto drivers,” he added.
The ticket fare was last increased in January 2018 when diesel price was Rs 63 a litre; however, although the fuel price increased by 50% (Rs 94.24 a litre in June), the fares of government buses have not been increased. Due to financial crunch, the corporations have not recruited new drivers and conductors since 2018.
They, however, hired temporary staff and enhanced services in several routes across the state. The fleet capacity of eight transport corporations stands at 19,500.
Dayanand Krishnan, an activist in Chitlapakkam, emphasised the importance of extending metro services from the airport to Kilambakkam for the residents of Tambaram and southern suburbs. He said they have been advocating for the approval of this project for a considerable period.
Although they were informed of the line’s approval in December 2022, Krishnan said it is now awaiting further review by a high-powered committee led by the chief secretary.
“Residents of Tambaram face huge inconvenience when travelling to Kilambakkam to board SETC buses. We wanted 20% of SETC buses originating from Tambaram MEPZ to alleviate this issue as taxi fares ranging from Rs 600 to Rs 700 per trip may not be affordable for everyone,” added Krishnan.
A senior official confirmed that all announcements regarding SETC made by the minister have been implemented, with the procurement of over 4,100 buses currently under way.
An official at the transport commissionerate said a mobile application for implementing auto meters is being developed by the labour department and is in its final stages.