CHENNAI: Demanding buses to delta regions and southern districts, hundreds of commuters staged a protest at the Kilambakkam Bus Terminus on Thursday night. Alleging insufficient bus services, a group of commuters attempted to block the GST Road but were stopped by the police.
The transport department, however, attributed the overcrowding at the terminus to the high turnout of commuters, and denied shortage of buses.
Despite repeated assurances from transport officials and the police that buses were en route to the terminus, commuters alleged that there were insufficient buses to Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Madurai and other places.
Most SETC and TNSTC buses returned from other parts of the state after 12.30 am, and they were diverted to the in-demand routes to pacify the commuters and reduce crowding at the terminus.
Transport Secretary K Phanindra Reddy, in a statement issued on Friday, said that four lakh commuters travelled by buses on Wednesday and Thursday, 1.18 lakh higher than those who travelled to their hometowns during the 2021 Assembly elections. “In addition to daily regular services of 2,092 buses a day, 3,115 special buses were operated from Chennai on Thursday and Friday.”
Reddy further said that in response to the state government’s request, the railways had operated additional special trains and attached extra coaches to several trains on Thursday.
“Transport department officials worked throughout the day to ensure uninterrupted operation of bus services,” he added. He also appreciated the transport officials and employees who stayed at the bus terminus until 5 am on Friday to facilitate the transportation of commuters.