Buses to districts may see dip in passenger numbers

“Compared to last year, we have less expectations this year. Earlier, the cost of travelling was cheaper compared to the cost of living in the city. But after the tariff was revised after a gap of eight years, this is not the scenario now, as the travel cost has risen significantly,” a senior official said.

According to him, there are lesser number of people who are eager to celebrate the festival in their natives unlike the case in the past. “The numbers are expected to increase during Pongal, as many are particular about celebrating it in their hometowns,” he added.

In a circular, it was mentioned that 72,957 passengers are expected to travel in the public transport network across the State until November 5. Of them, 45,301 passengers will leave Chennai, while the other sectors will ferry 27,656 passengers. The collection of the same period is an estimated Rs 345.71 lakh.

From November 7 to 11, a total of 49,581 passengers will take journey, bringing in a collection of Rs 232.05 crore. The total number of seats booked from Chennai is 1,405 and from the other sectors is 48,176.

On Friday, the number of seats booked was 962, collecting Rs 4.63 lakh. “We actually expected a good demand in view of the long weekend,” said SETC General Manager, Ponmudi Ramasamy.

Officials claim that the Corporation recorded good collection during the Navratri holidays, as the patronage surged by over 60 per cent. The traffic movement during the festival was unprecedented, said an official, adding that all the Transport Corporations yielded a good return collection in the same period.