Commuters in a fix as private buses violate route and halt points

While Vellore town buses operate from both the new and old bus stands, the main route is the 13-kilometre stretch between Katpadi and Bagayam. Both bus stands are located midwayin the route.

According to Kavita Jayaprakash, a regular commuter, “Private buses from Katpadi load up passengers for all stops midway and when they near the Odai Pillayar Koil stop, they summarily ask those bound for Auxilium College and interior areas in Gandhi Nagar (the regular route includes a detour into Gandhi Nagar) to disembark due to lack of time.” “As interior areas are more than a kilometre away, women, school and college students and the elderly are the most affected,” she added.

KN Kumaran, another commuter, said, “When the bus nears Sankaranpalayam on the Velapadi road, the crew again use the same strategy citing the same reason and take a shortcut to reach Anna Salai using the link road connecting the Sanakaranpalayam road with Lakshmi theatre.” Only a part of the amount is refunded if insisted upon as otherwise the passenger is left dearer with only half his journey completed,he added.

When asked about the issue, RTO sources said, “Eighteen bus operators had to complete 24 singles (one-way trips) covering the13-kilometre stretch within 45 minutes. As areas inside the town are congested, it leads to the crew having to skip part of the distance to ensure the competition does not overtake them.”

Further, in a bid to decongest the heavily congested green circle during peak hours, sources said a drone camera was being used to take images of the congestion points for remedial action later.