Extra counters help passengers with last-minute booking
Chennai: Special buses and extra counters eased the crowd to a great extent at Koyambedu bus terminus with Deepavali nearing.
As on Friday, 25 counters started functioning as did 501 special buses. Signboards at various places inside the terminus and outside have been put up announcing bus routes and plat-forms.
Staff from SETC and transport corporation were seen in plenty with top officials also being at the terminus. Enquiry stalls were put up to answer passenger queries. An official posted in one of them said, “The footfall is increasing with each passing hour. And we are making sure that the buses move on time and there is no jam.”
The extra counters were helpful with many doing last-minute booking. “I got a for ticket for Madurai and there was no hassle.
Last Deepavali, I had to depend on private travels which charged exorbitantly,” says Ravi Krishnan, a software employee from the city.
The crunch for space at the bus terminus to accommodate the special buses was solved with their being parked at the empty ground in Koyambedu wholesale market.
On Saturday, 501 special buses will run from Koyambedu and 699, on Sunday.
In the subsequent days, 1,400 and 1,652 special buses would ply to various districts from the city.
At the MTC terminus, there was confusion with the slow movement of buses into the terminus owing to the heavy rains. Several commuters were stuck for long hours on the buses.
At the private omnibus stand, ticket sales have not been good, compared to last year, say bus owners.
“With Deepavali falling on a week day, we have not registered enough sales. We hope it will improve,” says D. Maran, treasurer with the Tamil Nadu omnibus owners association.
Last month, the association had announced a hike in ticket prices owing to operational costs. The air-conditioned bus ticket fares were increased by 20 per cent and non-AC by 12 per cent.
The association has put up a board with routes and respective fares to stop people from being fleeced.
The police and transport officials are posted at the stand to discourage touts.
