Chennai: Arrangements have been made to run 16,888 bus services to enable people travel to their native places for Deepavali in three days starting from Friday, October 21, and also operate 13,152 buses for them to return to their workplaces after the festival from October 24 to 26.
At a meeting presided over by Transport Minister S S Sivasankar, it was decided that the buses would be operated from various bus terminus to avoid excessive crowding at Koyambedu. So from Madhavaram new bus stand, buses going through Red Hills to Ponneri, Gummudipoondi, Oothukottai and Tirupati would start.
The other bus stands are K K Nagar, from where buses passing through ECR to Puducherry, Cuddalore and Chidambaram would originate and those going through Tindivanam to Kumbakonnam and Thanjavur would start from Tambaram Aringnar Anna (MEPZ) terminus.
From the other terminus in Tambaram opposite to the railway station buses going through Tindivanam to places like Tiruvannamalai, Polur, Chetput, Vandavasi, Panruti, Neyveli, Vadalur, Chidambaram, Kattumanarkoil, Puducherry and Cuddalore and those passing through Genji will start.
Buses to Vellore, Arni, Arcot, Thirupattur, Kanchipuram, Cheyyar and Hosur those to Tirupati through Tirutanni would leave from Poonamallee bypass Corporations bus stand, while the rest of the buses would start from Koyambedu bus stand.
Apart from the regular 2,100 bus services daily, 10,588 special services would be operated on the three days starting from Friday.
Even the routes of buses have been changed to ease traffic and the transport department had urged motorists travelling to various places in their own vehicles to avoid taking the Tambaram - Perungalathur road and drive through Thiruporur – Chengalpattu or Sriperumbudur – Chengalpattu routes.
The metropolitan transport corporation would operate buses from Koyambedu to the 4 other terminuses throughout the day.
