BUS TRAVEL IN CHENNAI

From Sampath’s Desk:

TRAVAILS OF CHENNAI CITY BUS TRAVELS

 

About 4000 metro buses are now operated in more than 830 routes daily crisscrossing the length and breadth of Chennai City, its peripherals, suburban and far-flung areas, and even to places in surrounding districts, serving a huge population of about one crore. The present occupancy ratio is about 80% with the revenue accounting for ₹30 lakhs per day.

 

I recall with nostalgia the days of 1960’s/1970’s when red colour town buses were plying here and there with not much of crowd within the then shorter city limits compared to present day’s gigantic contours of the city. I remember quite specifically a bus bearing No.1 plying between Parry’s Corner and Triplicane where our family lived then, and No.2 from Triplicane to Mint (now Vallalar Nagar). Small crowds, short routes, empathetic crew, affordable fares, etc. made the then city life comfortable for the common man. With mass industrialization, a never-before giant infrastructure creation/formation, revolutionary expansion, concentration of trade and commercial hubs and segments, ever-expanding suburban areas, airport and harbour, mass migration of people from the rest of Tamil Nadu and even from other states into Chennai in pursuit of employment and business opportunities, and above all, the booming IT Sector and MNCs going great guns, there has been a phenomenal expansion of space and explosion of population making the city what it is today!

 

With house ownership/rentals increasingly becoming dearer, people started fanning out into suburban and peripheral areas for shelter, triggering an expansion of city in an endless spiral with satellite towns mushrooming. Though suburban trains operate in some sections and thousands of buses do run complementing each other, commuters progressively feel the inadequacy of transport, even as the bus fleet is increasing year after year trying to reach out to the nook and cranny of the city and its suburbs.

 

Chennai Metropolitan Transport Corporation (formerly known as Pallavan Transport Corporation) is now running different fleets of buses like White Board, Yellow Board, Express, M-series, L-series, LSS, Ladies Special, Point to point, Luxury, A/C including small buses in different routes covering neighbouring districts too, up to say about 50 KM radius. 

 

 

During peak hours, crowds swell both in bus-stops and inside buses. With many buses arriving at a bus-stop simultaneously and stopping haphazardly, impatient passengers move and spill over on road and go helter-skelter to board the buses. The on-going works of Metro Rail also contribute to city’s traffic woes such as traffic-jams and snarls. One has to give allowance for time and leave home well in advance accommodating for the exigencies like having to skip congested buses, inability to board buses halted away from bus-stops, journey time, time lost in signals, stoppage of bus journey for ticket-issue en route, ticket-checking by squad, etc.

 

One has to grapple with problems like boarding the bus amid surging crowds and joining the passengers inside transuding with sweat throughout, having to tender exact change (coins) for buying ticket or passing on the money through a chain of people to get the ticket (as conductor can’t wade through commuters packed like sardines), readying oneself one or two stops ahead for alighting at the destination, etc.

 

For some youngsters, it is an adventure travelling on foot-board throughout. They would often get out and get in at every stop and board only after the bus made its move. Some youths boarding the bus by taking firm hold of any part of open entrance and/or window cross-bar(s) and traveling by clinging and dangling on to it would send observers into a tizzy. Despite conductor’s advice, youngsters will enact thrilling acrobatics. This menace has now been reduced to some extent with buses having automatic door closure controlled by bus-drivers.

 

Nudging, fisting, punching, squeezing, elbow-hitting and pick-pocketing with the crowd swelling inside the bus at every stop resulting in altercations and brawls among sullen co-travelers, etc. are common. Permanent/temporary halting of buses due to VVIP(s) visits, passing processions, breakdown of buses, etc. add to passengers’ woes.

 

A metro bus travel has almost become part and parcel of Chennaites’ already stressful life every day.

 

 

R.SAMPATH