MTC’s ‘bus first’ campaign receives mixed response

A social media post seeking priority in road space for Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses drewcriticism as people say the buses do not stop inside designated bus bays or at bus stops, are driven recklessly, and even use the service lanes onRajiv Gandhi Salai.

The post from the MTC, which transports around 15 lakh passengers daily, addressed two-wheeler riders, who, in a bid to save a few minutes, weave recklessly among vehicles.

“Two-wheeler riders and autorickshaw drivers pose the most trouble to MTC bus drivers. I pity them as they have a lot of responsibility, ferrying the public day-in and day-out. Even if you look at Google Maps, two-wheelers and autorickshaws take lesser time to reach a point than cars and buses. That is because many of them disregard other vehicles,” said C. Ranganathan, a resident of Triplicane. On the other hand, MTC bus drivers should ensure that they halt at the designated bus stops, he added.

Bus bunching happens during peak hours, and when it does, passengers find it difficult to board and deboard buses at locations such as Parry’s Corner, Chennai Central Station, KMC, Ambattur, Thirumangalam, Madhya Kailash, opposite Omandurar Multi Super Specialty Hospital on Anna Salai and Safire Theatre bus stops.

Passengers say buses stop haphazardly, sometimes in the middle of traffic. “We cannot spot the right bus to board and we end up running to other buses. The crowd gets frenzied as everyone is in a hurry. I prefer to travel to Parry’s Corner in the afternoons to avoid such a rush,” said Kalaivani of Thoraipakkam.

She further said that on Rajiv Gandhi Salai, one could see MTC buses on service lanes at areas such as Thoraipakkam, Sholinganallur, Perungudi, and Kandanchavadi. This caused hardship to pedestrians and small vehicles, she added.

Advocate V.S. Suresh Souli said the stretch in front of the Central station was jam packed between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. every evening as a large number of vehicles, including MTC buses, use it.

“There are many small shops in that area and people visiting them park their vehicles wherever they please, taking up much-needed road space. Government agencies must remove the encroachments, and morepolicemenmust be deployed during peak hours to help ease movement of vehicles,” he said.

A senior official of the MTC said the ‘bus first’ campaign had been launched to create awareness among the public on the need to help commuters using public transport reach their destinations on time.

Regarding the problem of MTC buses plying the service lanes on Rajiv Gandhi Salai, the official said that with more than half the road being used for Chennai Metro Rail work, it was impossible to distinguish between the main carriageway and the service lanes.

The road near the Sholinganallur junction was so narrow that the buses proceeding towards ECR, via the Sholinganallur Main Road, had no choice but to take a left turn and use the service lane.