In view of the Deepavali festival, for the convenience of the public traveling from Chennai to their hometowns, a total of 26,856 buses will be operated over five days — 15,659 buses from Nov. 5 to 7 and 11,197 buses on Nov. 9 and 10 — Transport Minister A. Vijay Tamilan Parthiban said.
In this regard, after the consultation meeting held on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Nandanam Metro Rail Corporation, he told reporters:
In view of Deepavali, a total of 15,659 buses will be operated, including 9,086 special buses in addition to the 6,573 buses normally operated from Chennai. To facilitate the return to Chennai from hometowns after the festival, a total of 11,197 buses will be operated on Nov. 9 and 10, including 6,815 special buses in addition to the 4,382 buses normally operated.
Bus departure points: Buses will be operated from the Kilambakkam bus terminus to places including Puducherry, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Tiruchi, Madurai, Thoothukudi, Sengottai, Tirunelveli, Salem, and Coimbatore.
Buses will operate from the temporary bus station set up in the open area of the CMDA climate park near Klamabakkam on the Vandalur, Polur, and Tiruvannamalai routes, and from the temporary bus station at Maraimalai Nagar on the Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, and Nagapattinam routes.
From the Koyambedu bus station, buses will operate on the East Coast Road, Kanchipuram, Vellore, Bengaluru, and Tiruttani routes, and from the Madhavaram bus station, buses will operate to Andhra Pradesh via Ponneri and Uthukottai. Regularly operated buses to Tiruchi, Salem, Kumbakonam, and Tiruvannamalai will also be operated from Madhavaram.
Reservation facility: A total of 14 reservation centers will operate, with 10 in Koyambedu and 2 each in Clambakkam and Maraimalai Nagar. Passengers can also book tickets through the TNSTC app and the www.tnstc.in website. Direct buses will be operated for passengers who have booked from 16 locations, including Thiruvanmiyur, Avadi, Tambaram, Tiruvottiyur, Siruseri, Adyar, Broadway, Egmore, Ambattur, Taramani, Island Grounds, Guindy, Velachery, Ashok Pillar, Poonamallee, and Saidapet.
Control Room: For details and complaints regarding bus operations, you can contact the mobile numbers 94450 14436 and the toll-free number 149 at any time, 24 hours a day. Complaints regarding overcharging on omni buses can also be reported to the toll-free number 1800 425 6151 and the WhatsApp number 93848 08333. A 24-hour control room has also been set up at the Kilambakkam bus terminus.
For the convenience of passengers, information centers, electronic information boards, and loudspeaker announcements have been arranged. Additional surveillance cameras will be installed at bus terminals, and monitoring will be carried out by the police department and the relevant departments. Temporary communication towers will also be set up to ensure uninterrupted mobile connectivity service.
Free connecting buses will also be operated from Kilambakkam to the Maraimalai Nagar temporary bus stand, and 24-hour connecting buses will be operated from Koyambedu to Kilambakkam. A request has also been made to the railway administration to operate additional suburban electric trains and special trains to Coimbatore, the southern districts, and the Delta region.
Avoid traffic congestion...: Those traveling to their hometowns in private vehicles, including cars, have been advised to avoid traffic congestion by not taking the Tambaram and Perungalathur route, and instead use the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), Kelambakkam, Thiruporur, Chengalpattu route, or the Vandalur Outer Ring Road.
Warning to omni buses: Consultations have also been held with omni bus owners. They were instructed about the places where omni buses should be operated in Chennai, and also told not to collect extra fares. It was warned that strict action will be taken if the rules are violated, he said.
Transport Commissioner Sigi Thomas Vaidyan, Transport Department Secretary I. Nirmalraj, and several other senior officials from various departments participated in this meeting.
