Chennai: Out-of-town buses drop passengers on NH instead of Kilambakkam terminus

CHENNAI: Despite being hailed as a state-of-the-art bus terminus by the government, the Kilambakkam terminus often inconveniences passengers as many city-bound buses avoid entering the terminal and drop passengers off on the busy Chennai-Tiruchy National Highway.

Built at Rs 400 crore, the Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus, popularly referred to as the Kilambakkam Bus Stand, was opened to the public on December 30, 2023. It has become a major transit hub for government and private buses, as buses to and from southern districts have been redirected to this terminal.

While the facility was designed for convenience, its implementation has left lakhs of daily commuters struggling. A core problem is the practice of bypassing the terminus by buses while travelling towards the city. For their convenience, the buses halt in the lane opposite the terminal on the highway. Alighting directly on the highway is not only dangerous for the passengers, but also forces them to take a 1.5-kilometre walk on the heavy traffic road to reach the terminus after hours of travel.

The situation becomes more dire during the rains. With no shelters in sight or a lack of basic facilities at the unofficial drop-off point, passengers are left to continue their journey drenched. For passengers who are to retrieve their vehicles from the terminal's parking lot, the walk back is even worse.

A frustrated passenger asks, "This would be very convenient for us if all buses simply entered the terminus and dropped us off. Why build a Rs 400 crore facility if we cannot use it properly?"

Bus passengers aside, the general traffic on the highway gets impacted as stopping buses create bottlenecks. The traffic police also agree.

"We consistently instruct bus crews not to stop on the highway and to use the terminus," a police representative stated. "However, the drivers and conductors claim that their management has told them to drop passengers outside and bring the empty bus in."

For the KCBT authorities, the solution is the under-construction skywalk connecting the terminus and the railway station, which is stalled due to land acquisition troubles.

They assured that once completed, the skywalk would eliminate the need for passengers to cross the road. Until then, they have urged the public to bear with the difficulty.

The management also highlighted the operation of a free battery-operated vehicle to ferry passengers from the highway to the terminus. However, passengers have dismissed this as a token gesture.

"Only one or two battery vehicles are running, which can carry a maximum of 10 people at a time. This is utterly insufficient for the thousands of passengers arriving every hour," a daily commuter noted. "They have been talking about the skywalk since the terminus opened. When will it be ready? No one knows."

With the monsoon season under way, passengers are demanding immediate action, urging the transport department and bus operators to enforce a rule requiring all buses to enter the terminus, ensuring safety and convenience for all.