CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporations will operate special bus services for the long weekend from April 2-5, including Good Friday, according to the State Express Transport Corporation Managing Director.
With April 2 (Thursday), April 3 (Good Friday), April 4 & 5 (weekend) forming a continuous holiday period, a surge in passenger movement from Chennai and other parts of the State is expected between April 2 and 4.
To manage the anticipated rush, additional buses will be operated alongside regular services. From Kilambakkam, 575 special buses will be operated on April 2 to destinations including Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchy, Kumbakonam, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Kanniyakumari, Thoothukudi, Coimbatore, Salem, Erode and Tirupur. On April 3 and 4, 395 buses will be operated.
From Koyambedu, 100 buses will be operated on April 2 to destinations such as Tiruvannamalai, Nagapattinam, Velankanni, Hosur and Bengaluru, while 90 buses each will be operated on April 3 and 4.
From Madhavaram, 24 buses will be operated daily between April 2 and 4. In addition, 200 special buses will be operated from Bengaluru, Tirupur, Erode and Coimbatore to various destinations.
For the return journey, 735 special buses will be operated on April 5 (Sunday) from various locations to Chennai and Bengaluru, based on passenger demand.
Advance reservation data indicates that 13,369 passengers have booked tickets for Thursday, 5,964 for Friday, 3,907 for Saturday and 15,633 for Sunday. The number is expected to increase further.
Passengers undertaking long-distance travel have been advised to plan in advance and book tickets through the official website and mobile application of the transport corporations to avoid congestion.