CHENNAI: City commuters can now travel comfortably at less cost. On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation introduced the new red-coloured buses – which till date were used only for deluxe services – under the express service category. About 79 such buses have been earmarked for express services.
Compared to deluxe service, the fares of express buses are 35-25 per cent cheaper. While the minimum fare in a deluxe bus is `13, in express bus it’s `9. The new buses were part of 500 buses flagged off by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday. A Volvo bus for the TN tourism development corporation was also launched.
Of 500 buses launched, 235 are for MTC, of which 79 will be part of express services. These new buses will cater to passengers in 51 routes. “We have restored services in select long routes,” said an MTC official. With the addition of 235 buses MTC has received 695 new buses in the last 12 months.
Similarly, the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) which caters to passengers travelling long distances has received 118 buses. “The inauguration of 500 buses has increased the strength of new buses in the fleet of eight transport corporation to 4,381 in the last two years,” said the statement.