Anna Nagar West terminus is nightmare for commuters

It is desolation in the midst of frenzy — this could very well be said of the sprawling Anna Nagar West terminus of the MTC.

The terminus is underutilised and lacks basic amenities for commuters. The facility can accommodate five buses at a time but it sports a deserted look most of the time.

The entrance to the facility is marked by an uneven patch of earth. This makes it a Herculean task for passengers, especially senior citizens and differently-abled persons, to enter the facility. Further, the access road inside the terminus needs a fresh coat of asphalt. The uneven flooring makes the facility completely hostile for the differently-abled. Similarly, the floor abutting the bus bays is ridden with potholes. The spacious terminus has inadequate seating facilities for the waiting commuters.

“We have to face the ordeal of a long wait in the open with no seating arrangements. Sometimes, we sit on the nearby concrete platform inside the bus terminus,” says S Chitradevi, a commuter.

The terminus does not register a good footfall and the handful of commuters who use the facility prefer to wait near the entrance to board buses.

Commuters said the usual scenes like sprinting to catch buses cannot be found in this depot. “It is usually laid back with no bustling activity at any time of the day,” said another regular passenger.

There is no signage informing commuters of bus timings. The handful of commuters are habituated to the incessant waiting, who are provided with the tentative bus timings by the MTC staff or fellow passengers.

The facility has a compound wall, but it doesn’t stop mendicants from entering the facility at odd hours to take shelter. At night, the bus bays alone are well-lit, leaving the approach roads and periphery in a pool of darkness.

Owing to safety concerns, the commuters avoid the terminus after nightfall. Although the nearest terminus, West Mogappair, was recently equipped with a feeding room for new mothers, Anna Nagar West terminus lacks it.

A public toilet inside the facility is poorly maintained, forcing commuters to relieve in open spaces. In addition, the terminus, which is located a few meters away from a traffic signal, is deemed as the primary reason for long unwinding traffic during peak hours. “The piling up of buses on the main road is a huge cause of concern for motorists. They give scant regards to traffic rules,” said S Shivashankari, a motorist.

A top official of MTC said, “Majority of the commuters board buses from the bus stop which is located just outside the depot. It is well-maintained with a signboard displaying bus route numbers. It has a dedicated bus bay for the convenience of the commuters. Besides, the travellers from this part of the city are not very dependent on MTC buses. They rely heavily on private vehicles or share autos.”