MTC buses run on paper, not on Tambaram roads
Chennai: At 7pm every day, Tambaram West MTC stop is packed with commuters, most of them waiting for 55 series buses to areas such as Mannivakkam, Mudichur, and Vandalur. "I wait nearly 45 minutes every day for a bus to Mudichur.
When it finally comes, it is packed to the brim," says Joy Praveena J, an accountant.
Sasikala J, a shop keeper in Tambaram, waits patiently in the evenings because she has time. "But in the mornings, I just take a share auto and spend 40 more because the bus never comes when I need it,"
MTC officials claimed 12 buses are operated from 7pm-8pm daily, but commiters said this is not true. "I've seen a maximum of five, with just one going to Mudichur.
Usually, it's just 2-3 overall," said Venkatesh of Pallikaranai.
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A TOI visit to the stop at 7pm on June 24 found only three 55 series buses operated in one hour, but MTC data said that 11 services were made.
MTC managing director Prabhushankar attributed such mismatches to flaws in the Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVLS) to monitor and reschedule services. "Sometimes the issue is also with local indiscipline. Certain depot managers may not be managing services well."
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Prabhushankar said the Chalo App will soon be replaced by Chennai Intelligent Transport System (CITS), offering real-time bus tracking, GPS integration, and in-bus announcements. MTC now deploys 41 mobile checking squads and plans 1,500 new buses by Dec next year.
Road work and metro construction have increased travel time per trip. Drivers may not be able to complete scheduled rounds, said V Rama Rao of Traffic and Transportation Forum, an NGO.
MTC says it hired 700 new drivers and 625 conductors on contract and that overall services were up. In June, 43 new services were added at Madhavaram depot, and 9 each in Tambaram and Kilambakkam. It also said the combined daily trip capacity across Madhavaram, Kilambakkam, Tambaram, and Poonamallee depots is 6,892, but only 5,925 trips are currently being run. The near 1,000-trip gap raises questions about service consistency across suburbs.
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