Omni buses fined Rs 43.55 lakh after 357 inspections: TN Transport Commissioner

CHENNAI: Special enforcement teams of the Transport and Road Safety Department have conducted 357 inspections across Tamil Nadu since October 16, imposing penalties and taxes amounting to Rs 43.55 lakh on omni bus operators charging excess fares during the Deepavali season.

The Commissioner said omni bus operators had been warned against exploiting festival demand, and fares were ordered to be reduced wherever overcharging was detected. Popular booking platforms such as Abhi Bus, Red Bus, and Make My Trip are under close watch to identify violations.

Ahead of the festive rush, a review meeting on October 14 with police, CMDA, MTC, SETC, and the omni bus owners’ association decided that only 50 per cent of omni buses would be allowed inside Koyambedu terminus to reduce congestion, with the rest diverted to other points. Exclusive lanes at toll plazas have been earmarked for Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation and State Express Transport Corporation buses. Toll-free complaint numbers have been widely publicised through newspapers and television.

Transport Minister SS Sivasankar, who inspected operations at CMBT, said the corporations were fully prepared to meet passenger demand. “If there is more demand, we can rope in tied-up private buses or even deploy MTC buses to clear the rush,” he said. He also noted that the rise in advance ticket bookings indicated passengers were increasingly shifting from omni buses to State-run services. As many as 50,000 people booked tickets from Chennai on Friday alone, he said.

According to SETC Managing Director R Mohan, a total of 2,853 buses were in service as of midnight on Thursday, including 2,092 regular services and 761 specials. Together, these ferried 1,28,275 passengers.