CHENNAI: To meet the growing demand for transportation during festivals, auspicious days and extended holidays, the Villupuram division of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) has decided to hire private buses on a gross cost contract (GCC) basis.
Under this system, private bus owners will bear the expenses for the buses’ maintenance and provide drivers, while the corporation will deploy a conductor to collect ticket fares. The private operators will be paid on a monthly basis.
Although the Villupuram division is one of the state’s profit-making transport undertakings, as of June 2024, 1,734 (52%) of the 3,275 buses in its fleet are overaged. The division caters to Chennai city and nine other districts in northern TN as well as Puducherry.
Currently, during festivals and holidays, scheduled mofussil services are often diverted to operate as special buses, causing huge inconvenience to commuters who rely on regular services in villages and small towns. The repeated demand for additional buses during special occasions has prompted the corporation to deploy private buses on a contract basis, said sources.
These private buses will display the Villupuram division’s logo and name and will operate on routes designated by the corporation. Commuters will be charged the fares set by the government; the per-kilometre cost for hiring the private buses is still under consideration, although tenders have been issued, according to officials.
Sources from the Villupuram division told TNIE that the corporation’s fleet is sufficient to cater to the demand for weekday services between Monday and Thursday.
Pvt buses to ply on weekends, fest days
“Although new buses have been introduced to replace older ones, demand on festivals and auspicious days continues to rise each month. On a few occasions, commuters have even staged protests at the Kilambakkam terminus in Chennai due to shortage of buses,” said an official.
Currently, major bus terminals in Chennai, such as the Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus at Kilambakkam, Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus, and the Madhavaram Mofussil Bus Terminus, as well as bus stands in Tiruvannamalai and Vellore, face large crowds on weekends, often leading to altercations with depot staff.
According to official documents, the private buses hired by the state transport corporation will be deployed on weekends (Fridays and Saturdays), full moon and new moon days, days prior to these lunar events, days before major festivals, and muhurtham days (wedding-related auspicious days).
“The demand for buses to Tiruvannamalai during Porunami girivalam has multiplied in recent years. There is high demand for buses from Vellore to Tiruvannamalai, as many devotees from Andhra Pradesh board buses here. Additionally, buses from Chennai and Puducherry to Tiruvannamalai have seen significant increases,” an official from Vellore region noted. Already, MTC has issued tenders for operation of 500 electric buses on a GCC basis, with ticket fares yet to be finalised.
CITU state president A Soundararajan opposed the move, calling it a form of creeping privatisation. “The DMK had opposed anti-labour measures, including running buses on a GCC basis and employment of staff on contract basis, just months before the (2021 Assembly) elections. However, the same government has now adopted these measuresy. We will oppose these actions on the appropriate platforms,” he said.
Hiring to be done on GCC basis
The TNSTC will hire the buses on a gross cost contract basis (GCC). Private bus owners will pay the maintenance and provide drivers. TNSTC will deploy conductors
Weekend and holiday rush
The buses will be deployed on weekends, full moon and new moon days, days prior to these lunar events, days before major festivals, and muhurtham days