Tamil Nadu: Over 16,000 buses to be operated ahead of Deepavali

A total of 6,300 regular buses and 3,506 special buses will ply from Chennai to other parts of the state. Whereas, 6,734 special buses will operate between various destinations within the state.

Similarly, the state transport department has made arrangements to operate 17,719 buses for people to return to Chennai and other places from November 5 to November 8. The number comprises 8,400 regular buses and 9,319 special buses.

The buses would operate from five termini – Madhavaram, KK Nagar, Tambaram, Poonamalle and Koyambedu.

The buses will operate to and from Madhavaram to Ponneri, Gummudipoondi, Uthukottai via Red Hills. From KK Nagar bus terminus, buses will ply to and from Puducherry, Cuddalore, and Chidambaram via ECR. Special buses will start for Kumbakonam, Thanjavur via Tindivanam and Tiruvannamalai, among others, from Tambaram. Poonamalle terminus will be used to operate buses to Vellore, Kancheepuram, Hosur and Tirupati, besides other places. Special buses will ply from Koyambedu to Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Velankanni, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Coimbatore and Bengaluru, among others.

Travellers can book their tickets from 12 special counters set up at Koyambedu and Tambaram. They can also avail tickets from online portals. The transport department has set up a 24×7 control room (94450-14450/94450-14436) for commuters to enquire about bus timings and register complaints.

A dedicated round-the-clock control room will function at Koyambedu and steps would be taken to set up 20 ‘May I Help You’ desks in key areas. The corporation has directed the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) to operate link buses from Koyambedu to four other bus termini.