CHENNAI: Despite high demand for transportation in Chennai and surrounding areas, the Mini Bus Scheme 2.0 that was launched on June 16 allowing private operators to run mini buses on routes up to 25km — risks repeating the same mistakes as the 1997 rollout.
The scheme was intended to provide bus connectivity across more than 25,000km of unserved areas across Tamil Nadu. Although the transport department has issued proceedings — a document granted by the RTO after the operator presents the bus — for over 2,000 routes, services have yet to start on more than 50% of these routes, according to industry sources.
Currently, mini buses are operational only on 1,200 routes that were migrated from the previous scheme and brought under the revised guidelines.
A field survey by TNIE in Chennai found that several sanctioned routes remain non-operational. While the transport department claims services have been launched on 10 routes, buses are actually running on only three.
In many areas, services either haven’t begun or were discontinued shortly after starting. Even on routes where operations have commenced, only one round trip is being made daily — far below the 12 trips originally approved.
‘Mini bus service operators may take time to begin ops’
Likewise, in areas outside Chennai, mini bus services were halted after just a few days to a week due to low earnings. Transport Commissioner Shunchonngam Jatak Chiru told TNIE that he will take up the matter with the district collectors.
The 10 routes where mini bus services were claimed to have been introduced by the RTOs in Chennai include: Nolambur bus stand to Paruthipattu check post (14.2km), Ambattur Dunlop to Pammadhukulam (14.3km), Kaiveli Bridge to Madipakkam Koot Road (7km), Adambakkam Railway Station to Echangadu Junction (6km) and Echangadu to Madipakkam Bus Stop (6km).
When TNIE visited the Nolambur Bus Stand, commuters said that two MTC-operated mini buses run between Nolambur and CMBT (Route S51). “These two buses make about 8 to 10 trips daily. Apart from this, no private mini bus service is operating in the area, contrary to media reports,” said A Preetha, a resident of Sakthi Nagar, Nolambur.
Similarly, R Bakkiyaraj, a resident of Ambattur, said, “My sister used the newly-introduced private mini bus service between Ambattur Dunlop and Pammadhukulam (Avadi) to reach her college in Annanur. But it runs for only one round trip. Except for that morning trip, hardly anyone uses the service.”
Residents of Madipakkam, Pallikaranai and Kovilambakkam noted that while the Kaiveli Bridge - Madipakkam Koot Road mini bus (7km) has seen some usage, there are no other private mini buses serving these areas.
“The service from Adambakkam Railway Station remains a non-starter,” said office-bearers of various residents’ welfare associations.
Transport department officials stated that operators might need more time to begin services. “Only in specific cases will RTOs be asked to intervene. The buses are being run in accordance with the permits,” an official claimed.
However, it appears the issues hindering the scheme are unchanged even after 28 years: unviable routes, low commuter turnout and unprofitable fare structures. Most of the mini buses that began operations charged fares ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 15 per ticket, compared to the government-fixed fare of Rs 4 to Rs 11.
One mini bus operator, on condition of anonymity, told TNIE, “Many of us invested Rs 60 to Rs 70 lakh to purchase two mini buses. But the daily revenue rarely exceeds Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000. The per day driver wage is Rs 1,300 and for the conductor, Rs 1,000. Running services at the government-fixed fare is just not sustainable. Routes need to be revised so that they begin and end in high-footfall areas.”
K Kodiarasan, president of the TN Mini Bus Owners Federation, said, “Private mini buses can become viable only if operators are allowed to choose their own routes, and if there is a provision for automatic fare revision in line with rising operational costs, fuel prices and staff wages.”