CHENNAI: The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses skip designated bus stops, forcing the public to seek alternative bus routes for their last-mile connectivity, which is not unusual in the city. Whereas patients, staff nurses from the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, and the general public who wait at the Gandhi Irwin Road Nest Hotel bus stop near the Mayor Radhakrishnan stadium, urge the MTC to ensure that 27D and 23C deluxe buses halt at this stop.
Currently, the specified buses do not stop there, forcing patients and the general public to walk to the Egmore railway station or the Dasaprakash bus stops to reach Ayanavaram and other nearby places.
Kumari, a staff nurse at the Children's Hospital, Egmore, fumed that a decade ago, 27 D (Foreshore Estate to Villivakkam) and 23 C (Besant Nagar to Villivakkam) deluxe buses used to stop at the Nest Hotel bus stop. But now it skips the stop and stops only at the Egmore Railway Station bus stop on Gandhi Irwin Road, Egmore and the Dasaprakash bus stop at Raja Annamalai Road, Purasaiwalkkam.
Echoing similar concerns, A Jayapriya, a regular commuter and resident of Ayanavaram, who waits at the bus stop, alleged, "The 27 D bus, ordinary fair buses do stop here, but despite providing hand signals, the deluxe buses don’t stop," she added pathetically, saying bus drivers pass us despite noticing.
A senior MTC official said that the issue will be discussed and steps taken to ensure that all buses passing that route halt at the Nest Hotel bus stop
"The skipping of the bus stop forces several patients and staff to walk to the Egmore Railway Station bus stop, close to 800 meters, to board the buses, after our working hours. Halting the buses at the Nest Hotel bus stop will help hundreds of commuters like me," explained Kumari.
Meanwhile, a senior official in MTC said, "I will discuss the issue with the department and instruct the officials concerned to take adequate action in this regard." Another official in the MTC said, "The Nest Hotel is an official stop, and we will regulate all buses to stop at the bus stop."