Commuter Inconvenience: Vallalar Nagar bus terminus fails to give basic amenities to commuters

The Vallalar Nagar Bus Terminus, popularly known as Mint Terminus, in North Chennai is the main hub providing connectivity to the commuters in the northern suburbs but presents a picture of neglect, with no basic amenities being provided to the commuters.

Every day, at least 905 trips are made by the 168 buses that operate from the terminus I and II which functions from the same premises, carrying thousands of commuters from Mint and adjoining areas like Seven Wells, George Town, Basin Bridge and Old Washermanpet to every nook and corner of the city. 

After the terminus was moved from its old facility in the Mint junction to an open Corporation land on Basin Bridge Road almost nine years ago, the make-shift bus terminus was not provided with any basic amenities, neither for the commuters nor the bus drivers and conductors. In the terminus, the buses are parked on the unlaid floor, leading to dust pollution whenever the vehicle gets in or out of it. 

Moreover, the terminus lacks shelter even after being operated in the same place for over nine years. Commuters are put to a lot of hardship as there is no place for them to shelter themselves from the sweltering heat. “If you wait in the terminus for a few minutes, the dust flying from the vehicle will completely envelop you. Besides all this, you stand under the scorching sun without a roof. Why are the MTC authorities not building a roof for the commuters to wait under a shade?” said B Santhosh Kumar, a commuter from Washermanpet. 

K Sumathi, a commuter, said the terminus lacks adequate lighting, posing a threat to commuters, particularly women who travel after nightfall. “Even when thousands of women are using the terminus on a daily basis, the MTC authorities are unconcerned about their safety. They should provide light to ensure the safety of passengers,” she said. 

A bus driver, on a condition of anonymity, complained that there are absolutely no amenities for the drivers, conductors and other officials in the terminus. “There are no separate toilets for the bus drivers and conductors. We are forced to use the public toilets outside the terminus,” he said, adding that the terminus also lacked restroom. “After driving in the sweltering weather for hours, we do not have a place to rest or stand under the shade for few minutes before leaving for our next journey,” he said. 

A conductor said that the old terminus at the Mint Junction had separate toilets and restroom for the driver/conductors. “Now we don’t even have a place to eat our food,” he lamented. 

An official of the MTC at the terminus said that they would move to the old terminus in the next few months as the Washermanpet Metro Station work was completed and opened for the public. “There will be space crunch in the old terminus if we move there. However, the timing of bus halting in the terminus will be reduced to two minutes and halting time at the other endpoint will increase,” the official said.