AC buses vanish from city roads

Pointing out that only 10 of the 100 AC buses were being run, commuters and activists who have been left high and dry blame the corporation for poor maintenance.

The MTC had procured 100 AC buses in 2008, but allegedly failed to undertake maintenance works promptly, leading to suspension of services. In 2015, the corporation cut down the number of buses to 50 AC buses, and further to 40 in 2016. 

Now, sources said, there were only 10 to 12 AC buses, operates less frequently. Earlier, these buses were operated to CMBT, Taramani, Broadway, Velachery, Anna Nagar, Tambaram, Adyar and Guindy from various  parts of the city. 

“The AC buses fetched good revenue with high patronage. Considering this, a sizeable number of buses were running to Kancheepuram, Mamallapuram and other suburbs to attract tourists. Most importantly, these were a boon for techies, which also prompted the corporation to focus on areas like Taramani and Siruseri,” said an official. The bus fare was higher, between Rs 15 and Rs 20, but many commuters preferred these, particularly during summer. 

“But the corporation didn’t maintain the buses well. They are parked in an MTC workshop in the city,” said another staff working in MTC headquarters. According to him, the last remaining AC buses would soon come to a grinding halt. 

“Cities like Chennai must have AC buses. The government has spent taxpayers’ money on these buses and waste it without proper maintenance. Buses are worth Rs 85 lakh each,” said R Saravana Aravind, a city-based RTI activist. When contacted, a senior MTC official said they had sent a proposal to the state Transport department urging them to increase the number of AC buses.

“We are waiting for a response from  the government,” he said.

Senior citizens who want to enrol for free bus pass tokens to travel on Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses are made to run from pillar to post, as officials concerned allegedly ignored them. Complaining about the queues in which they have to wait for long, without even basic amenities, the citizens demand better, transparent system in place 

Former chief minister J Jayalalithaa had introduced the token system in February 2016, under which, all senior citizens would get 10 tokens a month. Using this, they can travel on all MTC buses, except air-conditioned ones, free of cost. 

Considering the time taken in the distribution process, the corporation began providing 30 tokens at a time, which could be used for three months. However, senior citizens said MTC officials often treated them with contempt. 

“I went to the MTC depot at KK Nagar to buy the token. However, the way the staff were treating the elderly was disheartening. In my case, they asked me to come on a later date. I asked them the date on which new forms will be issued, for which the reaction was rude,” said K Sekar, a senior citizen from Jafferkhanpet. V Raman, another senior citizen of Chintadripet, said he was sent home without mentioning a time and date. However, MTC officials denied the charge. 

“We have given stern instructions to officials in the depots to respect the elders. If senior citizens feel inconvenienced, they can register a complaint with the complaints section of the same depot,” said an MTC official.