Commuters get more reasons to choose pvt vehicles over MTC bus

The bus terminus at Besant Nagar wears a dilapidated look without adequate passenger amenities. One of the oldest termini in the city in Besant Nagar fails to provide any basic amenities to the commuters at a time when they are switching over to private vehicles for the daily commute.

The number of seats at the terminus is grossly inadequate to meet the demand of the passengers waiting for buses during peak hours, said Mallika Santhanam, a government employee who uses the terminus daily. "It won't cost much to provide a row of seats at the terminus for passengers who are paying for tickets," she said.

People who use the terminus complain that the area reeks of alcohol and urine. "Once, while walking along the terminus, a drunkard fell on me and another started passing lewd remarks," she recalled. The Corporation and MTC should provide better lighting facilities in and around the terminus to encourage a sense of security to women and senior citizens, she said, adding that the terminus should be cleaned daily to maintain it litter-free.

S Bharanidaran, a resident of Tiruvalluvar Nagar said that the terminus does not have clean toilet facilities for commuters. "Thousands of people visit Besant Nagar beach, temple and church every day. A clean toilet would help the commuters," he said.

K Ashokan, another commuter, complained that there was no announcement of bus arrival or its departure from the terminus. "Finding the bus timing is a difficult task. We have to rely on bus drivers or conductors," he said.

A bus conductor said that they need a room with proper chairs to rest after driving for long in heavy traffic. “We can drive without stress only if we get proper rest in between," he said, adding that it should have clean and tidy toilets. “There are many days when we don't have running water in toilets,” he complained.

An MTC official said they would soon install a new board to display bus timings.