CHENNAI: The State Transport Undertakings will operate 2,548 special buses across the State to manage the anticipated surge in passenger traffic during the Muharram holiday and the ensuing long weekend from June 25 to 29, according to State Express Transport Corporation Managing Director.
Passengers are expected to travel in large numbers from Chennai and other major cities from June 25-28, coinciding with Muharram on June 26 and the weekend.
To meet the additional demand, 525 special buses will be operated from Kilambakkam to destinations including Tiruchy, Kumbakonam, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Kanniyakumari, Thoothukudi, Coimbatore, Salem, Erode and Tirupur on June 25. And, on June 26 and 27, around 315 special buses each day will be operated on these routes.
From Koyambedu, 85 special buses will be operated on June 25 to Tiruvannamalai, Nagapattinam, Velankanni, Hosur and Bengaluru, while 75 buses each day will be operated on June 26 and 27. From Madhavaram, 14 special buses per day will be operated between June 25 and 27. In addition, 200 special buses will be operated from Bengaluru, Tirupur, Erode and Coimbatore to various destinations.
For the return journey, 615 special buses will be operated on June 29 to facilitate passengers travelling back to Chennai and Bengaluru after the holidays.
The transport corporations said that 12,445 passengers have already reserved tickets for June 25, June 26 saw 5,846 bookings, 3,815 for June 27 and 12,642 for June 29. As bookings are expected to increase further, passengers undertaking long-distance travel have been advised to reserve tickets in advance through the TNSTC website and mobile application to avoid last-minute congestion.