Deputy CM Udhay launches first phase of free school bus for 25 schools

CHENNAI: Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin launched the Metropolitan Transport Corporation's exclusive bus fleet for school students in Chennai, aimed at ensuring safe and congestion-free travel for children on Monday.

In the first phase of the service, buses will be operated in dedicated routes during school hours for 25 schools.

As part of the initiative, buses will pick up students from termini in the morning, stop only to board children along the route, and drop them inside school premises. In the evening, the buses will start from the schools and return along the same routes. Officials said the scheme was designed to ease overcrowding on city buses and provide schoolchildren with a secure and convenient commuting option.

Alongside the special services, Udhayanidhi also launched the distribution of free bus passes for the 2025-26 academic year. A total of 35.12 lakh students across Tamil Nadu, including about 4.1 lakh in Chennai, will receive the passes, according to the Transport Department.

Speaking at the launch event at the Lady Wellington Government Model Girls' Higher Secondary School in Triplicane, the Deputy Chief Minister noted that the scheme reflected the government's commitment to student welfare. In a post on X, he shared that the free bus pass scheme was launched in 1996-97 by the erstwhile chief minister M Karunanidhi.

After the flagging off of the special school bus, he boarded the bus and interacted with school students. Minister for Transport and Electricity SS Sivasankar, Transport Department Principal Secretary Sun Songam Jatak Shir, and MTC managing director T Prabhu Shankar were present at the launch event.