Shortage of pink buses on Poonamallee-Guindy route
Passengers get frustrated over waiting for long hours for pink and deluxe buses and are forced to board share auto, observes a commuter
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The shortage of pink-coloured buses, launched by the Tamil Nadu government to facilitate free bus rides, on the route between Poonamallee to Guindy has raised serious concerns among women passengers.
The residents of Porur, Iyyapanthangal, Ramapuram, and surrounding areas have reported struggles with waiting for hours at bus stops frequently. The situation has gotten worse with the scarcity of deluxe buses with some arriving only an hour at best, noted the commuters.
"We wait for an hour for a bus in the evenings. Pink buses are a rare sight on this route after late evenings. Even if we are ready to use a deluxe bus, they are not coming regularly. The buses seldom come at night time,” said a commuter at the Porur bus stop.
Pointing out the shortage of buses on the route near a well-known private hospital in the area, another commuter said, “The frequency of buses, especially pink buses, is getting worse day by day. Passengers get frustrated of waiting and are forced to board share auto. While this may be manageable occasionally, it is not a sustainable solution for daily commuters.” However, many commuters pointed out that the scarcity of buses in the night-time is not unique to the Poonamallee to Guindy route. “Less frequency of buses is a common problem for commuters across Chennai who rely on public transportation after late evening. On some nights, a cluster of buses arrives back-to-back, offering a reprieve. However, on some other nights, not even a single bus comes for an entire hour with passengers waiting for a long time,” another commuter echoed.
The commuters have urged the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) to take immediate action by increasing the deployment of pink buses and regular buses as well on the Poonamallee-Guindy route, especially at night time.
Additionally, they have requested a precise schedule for all buses on the route to improve the feasibility of commuting. The officials concerned did not respond when contacted on the same.