No toilet, inadequate chairs trouble passengers at Perambur bus depot

Commuters, especially women, at the Perambur bus depot have been suffering as there are no adequate seating facilities and toilets inside the depot. Perambur bus depot is one of the major bus depots in North Chennai, from where services as far as Anna Square and Besant Nagar are being operated.

Even though there is a toilet facility at the depot, it is confined only for the use of drivers, conductors and other Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) employees. “A few metres away from the depot, there is a public toilet maintained the Chennai Corporation. How could we rush there while waiting for the buses? We would miss the bus if we go to use the public toilet,” a commuter waiting at the bus depot said.

Another hardship faced by the commuters is the lack of adequate seating facilities in the bus shelter. Due to this, they are forced to stand for a long time while waiting for the buses. The depot has three platforms, but it has only handful of chairs in one of the platforms.

Perambur bus depot was opened for the public use in 1982 and falls under Vadapalani region of the MTC. The depot has a fleet strength of 166 buses and 158 scheduled services.

In another eyesore, all the platforms of the depot are damaged reportedly due to frequent collisions while buses taking turns and the MTC officials are yet to renovate the platforms.

“During weekdays, the bus stand will be crowded and the passengers waiting for buses have to stand for a long time, as the buses tend to miss their schedule frequently. Regular passengers, who know the timings, are spared but not the commuters who seldom use the MTC services,” K Menaka, a commuter said. Even though the depot has a breastfeeding room, it remains locked for most of the days.

When asked a staffer at the depot, he said that the key for the room is with the time keeper and mothers who need to use the room could get the key from him. “We cannot keep the room open all day as there is chance of anti-social elements misusing it. The key will available at any time,” he added.

However, the women hesitate to approach the official for the keys. “The feeding room is at the only building in the depot and the officials can easily monitor who enters the room. They can also prevent unwanted persons entering the room,” another woman commuter said.