The Hindu : CMBT has hit our business, say private operators

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 21, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

CMBT has hit our business, say private operators

By K. Manikandan

CHENNAI NOV. 20 . An aged woman struggles to get into a van along with a little boy and has to be helped by attendants of an omni-bus operator at Chintadripet. Packed along with more than a dozen other passengers and their baggage, she has to squeeze in. She is part of a group on an hour-long journey to the new Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) at Koyambedu, where they will board a luxury bus to Ramanathapuram.

Private bus operators, who appeared invincible in their hold over the common road space until recently, are now trying to cope with the new demands that the CMBT has put on them — transfer the passengers to the terminal in the same comfort that their costly super deluxe buses offer for the long haul.

Such systems are prevalent in many congested international cities, including Kuala Lumpur, where transit of passengers at a suburban point into smaller vehicles operated by the same company, is the norm.

But for the passengers, it is not an easy time. V. Natarajan, a TNEB employee at Keelakarai, said he reached Maduravoyal from Irumbuliyur via Chennai Bypass in 20 minutes, while it took more than 30 minutes to reach the new terminus from the Maduravoyal junction.

Mr. Natarajan said the conditions at the CMBT for omni-buses were less than optimum. The portion allotted to the omni-buses lacked basic facilities, he said. "It looks unsafe and I would hesitate to send my family members alone.'' Another passenger, prior to getting into the pick-up van that takes him from Chintadripet to the Koyambedu terminus, said he would think twice before visiting the State capital by omni-bus.

A resident of Thiruvanmiyur, who travels frequently to Bangalore and Hyderabad said he found it easy to board his regular omni-bus opposite the Central station operated by a travel company. "From now on it would be an ordeal to return home from Koyambedu."

However, a group of youth at the Central said they did not object to boarding the bus at Koyambedu as long as their bus operator was dropping them. The private bus operators said the CMBT had hit their business hard and showing their receipt books said "passenger load" dipped sharply.

Elangovan, a private operator staff, said their bus to Tirupur that was usually full had to make the trip with just nine passengers.

Those operating long distance buses to Bangalore, Mysore, Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad also complained of fewer passengers. If there were a few vacant seats at the starting point, they used to get filled up en route at Saidapet and Tambaram.

They said their clientele were mostly those who did not get confirmed train tickets. Now, they would have to find their way to the CMBT.

Apart from lesser passengers, they now had to spend on ferrying their passengers to Koyambedu in vans. If they loaded the top with baggage, RTO officials pulled them up.

The challenge before the omni-bus operators, some of whom operate practically as stage carriages by offering regular journeys to towns and cities at a given time, while officially declaring themselves "tour operators", is to come up with feeder vans to take their passengers to the CMBT.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

Stories in this Section

`Conjunctivitis still in epidemic phase'

Tenders open for road works

Rivals claim credit for Koyambedu project

Omnibus owners challenge shifting

CMBT has hit our business, say private operators

Anna varsity plans PG programmes to meet teacher shortage

Minister asks MTC to run more buses

HC notice on `police harassment' of advocate

Absenteeism, apathy mar roll revision