CHENNAI: Amid the ongoing tussle between the state government and omnibus operators, passengers who arrived in omnibuses in the city from Tiruchy, Madurai and other southern and delta districts, were stranded for hours in Kilambakkam KCBT on Thursday as traffic personnel stopped these buses from plying further to Koyambedu.
Earlier, the omnibus operators had refused to comply with the state government’s directive to operate from Kilambakkam KCBT citing space constraint in the new facility. However, on Thursday around 5 am, when these buses reached Kilambakkam to drop off passengers, traffic police stopped them, citing the transport commissioner’s order.
Commuters who had booked tickets up to Koyambedu were forced to get down and were redirected to platforms 11, 12, 13, and 14, designated for drop-off and pick-up. A section of omnibus operators said the Kilambakkam KCBT can only accommodate about 140 omnibuses while close to 700 to 750 buses are being operated to central and southern districts daily.
About 1200 Omni buses cater to about 50,000 commuters during weekdays and 65,000 to 70,000 during weekends. “The unavailability of the proposed parking area for Omni buses at Mudichur force us to operate empty buses to Koyambedu. This decision not only renders the bus operations unviable but also inconveniences commuters,” an operator said.
Furthermore, the operator emphasised that MTC is the sole mode of transport to reach Kilambakkam. “Omni buses are preferred by travellers seeking comfort, for which they are paying 20 to 30% higher fares than SETC and railways. These commuters are unlikely to opt for MTC and may resort to cabs, incurring costs of `1000 to `1200,” he added.
R Anand, a resident of Guindy suggested that until additional connectivity options such as the metro and railway stations are developed, buses should continue operating from Koyambedu to mitigate the hassle of boarding the buses during evening hours.
Officials from MTC assured that buses from KCBT to Tambaram would be operated every 10 minutes from 3 am to 10 pm for the benefit of SETC and Omni bus travellers.
“Huge vehicular congestion is being witnessed on the Chennai bypass, GST, and other arterial roads due to metro rail and other infrastructure development works. Omnibuses cannot be allowed to enter the City further,” a transport department official said. Meanwhile, the MTC has launched an end-to-end bus service from Tambaram to Kilambakkam KCBT.