Special bus services introduced in Tamil Nadu for Navaratri, Diwali

State Transport Minister M R Vijayabaskar announced on Tuesday that more than 1,600 buses will be undertaking special trips for Navaratri from October 4-6 within Chennai apart from the regular fleet of 2,000 odd buses. Additionally, more than 1,200 buses will ferry passengers to other cities within the state and south India from October 4-6. The same services will be available on October 8 and 9.

Further, special counters have been set up at Chennai Mofossil Bus Terminus (CMBT), Poonamallee, Madhavaram and Tambaram bus stations to book reservations for the special buses from October 3.

For Diwali, TNSTC will be operating over 11,000 special buses within Tamil Nadu for which bookings can be made on October 23. About 10,000 buses are expected to transport travellers from Chennai to other districts and cities in the state, while more than 8,000 buses will be deployed to ferry passengers to the coastal capital.

During Navaratri and Diwali, passengers going to southern Tamil Nadu will have to board their buses from CMBT while those travelling to Thanjavur and Kumbakonam will have to board their buses from Tambaram. Poonamallee will serve as the point of departure for buses bound to Hosur, Vellore, Kancheepuram and Arcot, K K Nagar for Cuddalore and Chidambaram-bound buses and Madhavaram for Andhra Pradesh.

Passengers can book seats on the special buses through the TNSTC website, Red Bus, Paytm or Bus India.