702 AC buses to resume service in Tamil Nadu after second wave

Chennai

Transport Minister RS Rajakannappan on Friday announced that702 air-conditioned buses of the transport corporation would resume servicesfrom October 1 after remaining off the roads for over 140 days owing to thesecond wave of Covid.

In a statement, the minister said that the Chief Ministerhas ordered the resumption of the AC bus services from October 1 as the numberof the Covid cases have been coming down. The AC bus services were suspended onMay 10.

Of the total of 702 AC buses, 60 buses will be operated onthe town bus routes, including 48 buses of MTC. The remaining buses will ply inthe inter-district and inter-state routes - 402 (seats only), 206 (seats andsleeper) and 34 sleepers.

Rajakannappan said that the buses would be operated onlyafter complete maintenance and disinfection from October 1. "We urge thepassengers to make use of the facilities but should travel only by wearingmasks. Passengers will be allowed to board buses only after using handsanitisers," he said, adding that instructions were given to officials toprovide hand sanitisers through the bus conductors.

Following the second Covid wave, bus services which wassuspended on May 10 partially resumed in the city on June 21 while the busservices between the districts resumed on July 5.