Pongal exodus: 1.72 lakh to ride out of Chennai on govt buses
CHENNAI: The Koyambedu bus terminus witnessed a moderate crowd on Thursday. On Thursday, two days before Bogi, 2,751 bus services were operated from CMBT, Madhavaram and four other temporary bus stands. Since morning, buses bound for Tiruchy, Madurai and other destinations left the CMBT with 70% to 80% occupancy.
“On Wednesday evening, the demand for buses went up by 20% after 6 pm as hundreds of commuters arrived at CMBT. Particularly, buses to Vellore, Ambur, Kancheepuram, Tiruvannamalai, Hosur, Arani and other northern districts were overcrowded. However, demand for south-bound buses is relatively less except in Tirunelveli,” said a transport official.
As per official data, 1.72 lakh commuters have reserved tickets for government buses between January 11 and 20. Meanwhile, trains leaving Central, Egmore and Tambaram were overcrowded. Omnibuses bound for Tirunelveli, Bengaluru and Coimbatore from Chennai are charging anywhere between Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,600 per seat/berth from January 12, said sources.