CHENNAI: The transport department has identified 1,469 routes for mini-bus operations across Tamil Nadu. Gazette notifications declaring these routes have been issued by collectors in a few districts. For Chennai and other districts, the notifications are expected to be issued next week, after which permits will be given to private operators.
Erode and Tiruvannamalai have the highest number of routes, with 109 each, while Kanniyakumari has only three. Backward districts like Ariyalur and Perambalur have 16 and 14 routes identified, respectively, according to official documents accessed by TNIE.
Similarly, districts such as Kallakuruchi (91), Cuddalore (81), Tiruppur (97), and Villupuram (73) are set to have a high number of mini-bus routes. The maximum length of the mini-bus route should be 25 km while the minimum length is 10 km.
Surprisingly, in Chennai, which faces a shortage of nearly 2,000 MTC buses to meet public demand, fewer than 10 routes are likely to be operational, with six to seven routes in north Chennai and two routes in south Chennai.
However, the outskirts of Chennai under Chengalpattu district, including Tambaram, Pallavaram, Sholinganallur, Kilambakkam, Guduvanchery, and other areas, will have buses on 15 routes. Similarly, areas like Poonamallee, Avadi, and Thiruverkadu under Tiruvallur district will have over 10 routes out of the 33 identified for the district. This marks the first time since 1976 that permits for new routes in urban areas will be issued to private operators in the state.
‘CUMTA survey on to identify mini bus routes’
Transport Commissioner Shunchongam Jatak Chiru told TNIE that the ratio of unserved to served areas has been adjusted from 70:30 to 65:35 to cover more regions. “Identification of potential routes for mini-buses poses huge challenges. Although the defined norms state that there should be no government bus service or fewer than four single trips per day, we have instructed Regional Transport Officers and collectors to create routes based on demand,” he said.
Several districts, including Salem, Thanjavur, Ariyalur, Krishnagiri, and Nagapattinam, have fewer than 20 routes. “In Kanniyakumari, geographical and topographical challenges have made it difficult to identify routes. We have asked collectors to collaborate with local body representatives, such as panchayat presidents, to determine suitable routes. Collectors have also been instructed to modify existing mini-bus routes to align with the revised policy, based on operators’ requests,” Chiru added.
He added that once the mini-bus routes are officially notified in the gazette, operators can apply for permits to run buses.
Official sources revealed that the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) has begun a survey to identify mini-bus routes for Chennai. During the first phase of the scheme’s launch scheduled from May 1, Chennai is expected to have bus service on seven to nine routes.
A senior transport official from Chennai explained that identifying routes in the city is complicated for areas such as Valasaravakkam, Madhavaram, Red Hills, and Ambattur. “Most unserved areas are fragmented. Many residential pockets are within 2-3 kilometres from main roads, which are already served. Additionally, congested streets in north Chennai, which have sizable populations, are often used for parking vehicles in the evenings. Hence, running buses through those streets is not possible,” the official said.
He further noted that the served route length has been increased in many places in the city as many roads are being converted into one-ways to facilitate metro train construction making it difficult to identify unserved distances in several places. “Moreover, in some cases, MTC claims to have permits for routes where buses are not actually in operation. These routes can only be considered if MTC surrenders the permits,” he added.
Out of 10 routes identified for Chennai, six to seven routes may be notified in north Chennai and two in south Chennai - Alandur Metro - Kathipara (10km) and Karapakkam - Infosys (10km) are proposed to be notified.
An official from CUMTA stated, “A survey is underway to identify potential routes for mini-bus operations. It may take more time to identify suitable routes in core city areas.” MTC officials could not be reached for comments.