TN Ayudha Puja rush: 4.15 lakh travelled from Chennai on 9,571 bus services in three days

Chennai, Oct 18 (IANS) A total of 4.15 lakh passengers travelled from Chennai on 9,571 bus services over three days as transport operators stepped up services to accommodate the rush ahead of the Ayudha Puja holidays, according to an official release.

The services were operated between October 15 and midnight on October 17 from five bus terminals across the Chennai region. The arrangements included regular daily services, additional buses operated by state transport corporations and private buses deployed for the holiday rush.

Of the 9,571 services operated during the period, a total of 6,573 were regular daily services, and 2,998 were special services. The additional services comprised 2,528 state transport corporation buses and 470 private buses, the release said.

Passengers boarded buses from the Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus at Kilambakkam, the Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MGR Bus Terminus at Koyambedu and the Madhavaram New Bus Terminus. Special services were also operated from temporary bus stands at the CMDA Climate Park and Maraimalai Nagar.

The number of passengers and services increased steadily across the three days, with October 17 recording the highest figures as more people headed out of the city for the holidays.

On October 15, operators ran 2,546 services, comprising 2,191 regular buses and 355 special buses. These services carried approximately 1.15 lakh passengers from Chennai.

The following day, the number of services rose to 3,346, including 2,191 regular buses and 1,155 special buses. Around 1.47 lakh passengers travelled on these services up to midnight on October 16.

On October 17, a total of 3,679 services were operated, consisting of 2,191 regular buses and 1,488 special buses. These carried approximately 1.53 lakh passengers by midnight, taking the cumulative passenger count to 4.15 lakh.

While the daily allocation of regular buses remained unchanged at 2,191, the number of special services increased substantially, from 355 on the first day to 1,488 on the third.

Special services accounted for nearly a third of all departures during the three days, reflecting the additional transport capacity arranged for passengers travelling during the festival break.

The release detailed the combined operations from all five boarding points, with the temporary terminals supplementing the three established bus stations used for departures. The figures cover outbound travel from Chennai during the specified period and include passengers carried by both the regular services and the additional holiday buses.

–IANS

aal/dpb