MTC’s ‘bus first’ marketing campaign receives blended response

A social media put up in search of precedence in highway house for Metropolitan Transport Company (MTC) buses drew criticism as individuals say the buses don’t cease inside designated bus bays or at bus stops, are pushed recklessly, and even use the service lanes on Rajiv Gandhi Salai.

The put up from the MTC, which transports round 15 lakh passengers each day, addressed two-wheeler riders, who, in a bid to save lots of a couple of minutes, weave recklessly amongst automobiles.

“Two-wheeler riders and autorickshaw drivers pose probably the most hassle to MTC bus drivers. I pity them as they’ve a number of accountability, ferrying the general public day-in and day-out. Even when you have a look at Google Maps, two-wheelers and autorickshaws take much less time to achieve a degree than vehicles and buses. That’s as a result of a lot of them disregard different automobiles,” stated C. Ranganathan, a resident of Triplicane. Then again, MTC bus drivers ought to make sure that they halt on the designated bus stops, he added.

Bus bunching occurs throughout peak hours, and when it does, passengers discover it tough to board and deboard buses at areas reminiscent of Parry’s Nook, Chennai Central Station, KMC, Ambattur, Thirumangalam, Madhya Kailash, reverse Omandurar Multi Tremendous Specialty Hospital on Anna Salai and Safire Theater bus stops.

Passengers say buses cease haphazardly, typically in the course of visitors. “We can not spot the fitting bus to board and we find yourself working to different buses. The group will get frenzied as everyone seems to be in a rush. I desire to journey to Parry’s Nook within the afternoons to keep away from such a rush,” stated Kalaivani of Thoraipakkam.

She additional stated that on Rajiv Gandhi Salai, one might see MTC buses on service lanes at areas reminiscent of Thoraipakkam, Sholinganallur, Perungudi, and Kandanchavadi. This precipitated hardship to pedestrians and small automobiles, she added.

Advocate VS Suresh Souli stated the stretch in entrance of the Central station was jam packed between 5 pm and eight pm each night as a lot of automobiles, together with MTC buses, use it.

“There are numerous small outlets in that space and other people visiting them park their automobiles wherever they please, taking over much-needed highway house. Authorities businesses should take away the encroachments, and extrapolicemenhave to be deployed throughout peak hours to assist ease motion of automobiles,” he stated.

A senior official of the MTC stated the ‘bus first’ marketing campaign had been launched to create consciousness among the many public on the necessity to assist commuters utilizing public transport attain their locations on time.

Relating to the issue of MTC buses plying the service lanes on Rajiv Gandhi Salai, the official stated that with greater than half the highway getting used for Chennai Metro Rail work, it was unattainable to tell apart between the primary carriageway and the service lanes.

The highway close to the Sholinganallur junction was so slender that the buses continuing in the direction of ECR, by way of the Sholinganallur Principal Highway, had no selection however to take a left flip and use the service lane.