CHENNAI: The MTC has invited tenders for the procurement and operation of 520 low-floor air-conditioned buses, including 300 feeder buses under the Gross Cost Contract model and 220 electric buses dedicated to Metro connectivity, in a major push to strengthen first- and last-mile access across the city.
MTC floated a tender for 300 seven-metre low-floor AC feeder buses to operate within the city. These buses will connect interior residential areas and emerging neighbourhoods with key public transport nodes, including MTC bus services, the Chennai MRTS and the Chennai Suburban Railway network.
The compact seven-metre buses are expected to navigate narrow and congested streets with ease while offering safe and comfortable air-conditioned travel. The low-floor design is aimed at improving accessibility for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
The feeder services will link interior localities with major bus terminals, suburban railway stations and MRTS stations, enhancing integration between residential areas and high-capacity transport corridors.
MTC Managing Director T Prabhushankar said the first phase would cover the old Chennai Metropolitan Area. He said MTC had earlier launched small bus services with 220 buses covering 85 routes, but only 146 buses were currently in operation. “All those buses are now 11 or 12 years old,” he noted.
The new seven-metre buses will be operated on routes with a maximum length of 10 km and will function without conductors. The headway is proposed to be between 15 and 20 minutes.
Prabhushankar said MTC had undertaken a comprehensive study along with the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority and identified 151 routes in addition to the existing 85 small bus routes.
He added that in the KTC region, 72 routes had been identified for mini bus operations. Of these, private mini buses were currently operating on only 11 routes, leaving 62 routes uncovered. He said that subsequently, MTC will procure more electric mini buses to improve last-mile connectivity. “Our ultimate objective is that no one in Chennai city should have to walk for more than five minutes to reach public transport,” he said.
In a parallel initiative, MTC has also floated a tender for 220 electric low-floor AC buses to provide dedicated first- and last-mile connectivity services for commuters of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited. The proposed fleet comprises 70 seven-metre electric buses and 150 five-metre electric buses.
These electric buses will connect residential areas, commercial zones and densely populated neighbourhoods with Metro Rail stations across the city. The smaller five-metre and seven-metre buses are designed to operate efficiently on narrow urban roads, enabling smoother access to Metro corridors.
MTC said the twin initiatives are aimed at enhancing public transport patronage, reducing dependence on private vehicles and easing traffic congestion. The deployment of electric buses is also expected to lower vehicular emissions and promote environmentally sustainable mobility.