06-05-2025
New bus terminus opens to praise and practical challenges
M.S. Anitcham
The newly-reconstructed Rajiv Gandhi Bus Terminus, which was thrown open to the public on Friday, has evoked mixed passenger responses, with some praising the renovated facility and others flagging a few constraints.
The facility, reconstructed by the NBCC (India) Limited — a Central public sector undertaking, at a cost of ₹15.75 crore under the Smart Cities Mission was formally opened to public use on May 2, after being delayed for long due to various factors since the foundation was laid in June 2023.
Among its many touted features are 42 bus bays, 31 shops, two restaurants, four transport offices, parking facilities for six omni buses, a cloak room, an ATM, three general waiting halls with a capacity of 30 each, an air-conditioned waiting hall, two dormitories, and a parking lot that can accommodate 450 two-wheelers and 25 cars. The terminus also has an information centre, a CCTV room, ticket booking offices, an administrative building and a sanitation complex.
The most glaring drawback that many users highlighted was the inadequate space earmarked for long-distance buses plying via ECR and Tindivanam bypass.
Besides, the smart-city project which has increased the size of the terminus building, is yet to provide adequate parking shelters for long-duration buses that operate via ECR and bypass routes. The space constraints at the designated slots for these services are proving to be a hassle not just for passengers but also for transport personnel, who complain of insufficient parking bays for buses.
With almost all the services getting operated from the facility — 182 buses travelling on the ECR route and 113 buses travelling on the bypass route towards Chennai — there is a jockeying for the limited space by a line of vehicles, especially during peak hours.
'Passengers face severe hardship as they are forced to stand in the sun while waiting for buses heading to Chennai, Mahe and other states, as there are no bus shelters,' said Shankar, a conductor.
The ongoing construction of the shelter for Chennai-bound buses includes only three slots each — limiting the waiting area for travellers bound for Chennai. 'The area used for parking buses previously has been turned into a two-wheeler parking zone, now forcing the buses to be parked outside,'' said another bus crew personnel.
'While the building housing the shops in the bus terminus appears to be large, the number and size of the bus slots have been reduced,' he added.
The commercial outlets in the new terminus are yet to be opened, with only Ponlait and Le Café being operational. Passengers and conductors also point out that the paid toilet system is unreasonable as they should not be made to pay for basic facilities in a public space.
Many passengers suggested that the bus identification details should be made more visible. 'Change of locations of bus slots for each destination is confusing even for frequent commuters and people familiar with the previous layout,' states Panimalar and Kural, a married couple.
Overall, passengers believe that the reconstructed terminus is a significant upgrade from its previous version. Also, while most commuters expressed satisfaction with the availability of clean drinking water and tidy slots for the buses, they expected the authorities to maintain the level of cleanliness visible during the launch of the renovated transport terminal on May 2 in future too.
