CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Transport department is planning to introduce tatkal quota in buses operated by the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) and the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporations (TNSTC).The tatkal quota is expected to be introduced during festival and weekend days for ultra deluxe buses, non-AC sleeper, classic ultra deluxe and express buses.“Four berths in each bus are proposed to be earmarked under tatkal quota, which will be priced about 15 to 20 per cent higher than the actual ticket price,” said a senior transport official.
The proposal was mooted as part of measures to improve the financial condition of state transport undertakings (STCs). A higher-level committee constituted five months ago to recommend ways to revamp the STCs has also suggested to fix ticket prices on demand.According to the official policy note 2018-19, the fleet strength of eight transport corporations is 19,490 (excluding spare buses). This includes 6,500 mofussil buses and 1,060 SETC buses which cover the route distance of about 300 km.
After the ticket fare increased in January, though the patronage for government buses dipped across the state, SETC and express buses continued to have better patronage throughout the week.Officials said the occupancy level of SETC buses are 85 per cent between Monday and Wednesday, while the buses get filled for the rest of the days. Particularly, SETC buses have high demand in the routes including Chennai-Madurai, Chennai-Tirunelveli, Chennai-Tiruchendur, Chennai-Nagercoil, Chennai-Thoothukudi, Chennai-Kovilpatti and Chennai - Coimbatore.
On July 3, 515 new buses were added to the fleet of transport corporations. While more than 300 buses are put into operation, the remaining buses are expected to hit the roads by end of July.“We expect commuters’ patronage for buses to eventually go up in coming months. The government has already granted permission to increase ticket fares during festivals and weekends. Tatkal system will be introduced in select routes in one or two months,” added the official.