Tiruvallur-Kanagamma Chatram route: Overcharging for 8 years, mofussil ordinary buses go back to charging Rs 15

CHENNAI: The expansion of the Vettri Payanam Thittam to mofussil ordinary buses has brought unexpected relief to men in Tiruvallur, with transport authorities correcting fare overcharges on a key route for the first time in eight years.

Working women have urged the state government to extend the free travel scheme to mofussil express buses to avoid the inconvenience of changing buses during their daily commute.

Commuters travelling between Tiruvallur and Kanagamma Chatram said that mofussil ordinary buses had been charging them Rs 20, the prescribed express bus fare, instead of the applicable ordinary fare of Rs 15 for the 23-km journey. According to civic activist Senthil, the state government revised bus fares in 2018, increasing the per-kilometre fare for mofussil ordinary buses from 42 paise to 58 paise and that for express and deluxe buses from 56 paise to 75 paise.

Based on the revised rates, mofussil ordinary buses operating on the Tiruvallur-Kanagamma Chatram route should have charged Rs 15, while express buses were to collect Rs 20. However, he alleged that ordinary buses had continued to collect the higher fare for eight years despite repeated complaints to the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC).

S Anwar, a resident of Kanagamma Chatram, said, “Mofussil ordinary buses, including routes 197 and 105 operating between Tiruvallur and Tiruttani, routinely charge Rs 20 instead of Rs 15. We submitted multiple complaints to TNSTC over the years requesting it to collect the correct fare from the public, but no action was taken until now,” he said.

The fare correction came after the expanded Vettri Payanam scheme was implemented on October 2. Mofussil ordinary buses on the routes have since started collecting the correct fare of Rs 15 from male passengers travelling between Kanagamma Chatram and Tiruvallur. The minimum fare for single-stop journeys has also been reduced from Rs 10 to Rs 7.

Meanwhile, working women have sought the inclusion of mofussil express services in the scheme, citing the additional time and inconvenience involved in changing buses to access free travel.

M Yuvarani, a Tiruvallur resident, said, “Women are eligible for free travel on ordinary town and city buses, express, Limited Stop Service (LSS) and deluxe buses, as well as mofussil ordinary and hill-area ordinary buses, under the existing guidelines.”

However, the exclusion of mofussil express buses has left many daily commuters struggling to access the benefit. “A large number of working women commute daily on route 82C between Tiruvallur and Chengalpattu. To benefit from the scheme, women currently have to board two ordinary buses instead of taking a single direct express bus. Changing buses consumes extra time and causes hardship,” Yuvarani said. “Including mofussil express buses in the scheme would benefit thousands of daily commuters who currently pay Rs 55 for a one-way journey from Tiruvallur bus terminus to Chengalpattu. Authorities should also ensure that digital ticketing devices function without glitches.”

According to TNSTC officials in the Tiruvallur division, 232 buses operate under its jurisdiction, including 75 town ordinary and deluxe buses and 157 mofussil ordinary and express buses. A senior TNSTC official in Tiruvallur confirmed that fares had been corrected in 59 mofussil ordinary buses in line with the state government’s directives aimed at promoting public welfare in rural areas.

“Free travel for women will soon be rolled out across 98 mofussil express buses, including route 82C,” the official said.