20,000 buses will run Deepavali special services: TN transport minister

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday announced that over 20,000 buses will be used to operate special services to help passengers travel to their homes during the Deepavali season.

Thirty special reservation counters for booking tickets will be opened at four places in the city. The service can be availed between November 1 and 5, Transport minister MR Vijayabaskar announced during a press conference on Thursday evening.

A total of 11,367 buses from Chennai and 9,200 buses will be operated from the rest of the state November 3-5, the minister said adding that an exclusive service of 4,207 buses will be operated from the city while 7,635 special services will be operated from the other districts.

The long-distance buses to Tiruvannamalai, Thanjavur and Kumbakonam will be operated from Koyambedu and Tambaram bus depots. The passengers can board buses at KK Nagar bus stop to travel to ECR, Puducherry, Cuddalore and Chidambaram, Vijayabaskar said. “An additional 30 new buses will be inducted to the existing fleet of MTC in a couple of weeks. A few patch works need to be carried out which is the primary reason for the delay,” he added.

Additional counters have also been added at the Koyambedu bus terminus, Tambaram (MEPZ) and also in Poonamallee and Madhavaram, he said.