MTC Chennai wins national award for Best Public Transport System at UMI 2025

CHENNAI: The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (Chennai) has been conferred the ‘Award of Excellence in Urban Transport – City with the Best Public Transport System’ by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs at the Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Expo 2025 held in Gurugram on Sunday.

Union Minister Manohar Lal presented the award in the presence of senior officials, dignitaries and urban mobility experts.

The recognition, formally conveyed through a letter dated November 4to the Chief Secretary and the Managing Director of MTC, acknowledges Chennai’s progress in improving efficiency, accessibility and sustainability in urban transport.

MTC was recognised for a series of initiatives, including its extensive network of more than 660 routes, the Vidiyal Payanam scheme offering free travel for women, and the Dedicated School Bus Service Scheme, which provides exclusive on-campus pick-up and drop-off for students. The corporation’s complete shift to digital payments through Electronic Ticketing Machines, acceptance of National Common Mobility Cards, UPI and bank cards, and the launch of the Chennai One multimodal journey planner were also highlighted.

MTC’s growing fleet of electric buses, its Intelligent Transport Management System enabling real-time bus tracking, and measures to enhance safety for women and accessibility for persons with disabilities contributed to the award. The Ministry also noted Chennai’s strengthened first- and last-mile connectivity with the Metro and suburban rail networks.

Financial sustainability under the Public Transport Service Contract framework, supported by viability gap funding from the Tamil Nadu government, was cited as a pioneering model in India.

Transport Minister SS Sivasankar and MTC Managing Director T Prabhushankar received the award on behalf of Tamil Nadu. The accolade positions Chennai as a leading example of sustainable and inclusive public transport in the country.