International passengers avoid SETC buses, ride taxis

After the government relaxed the compulsory institutional quarantine and allowed international passengers to go home for two weeks home quarantine, they started hiring private vehicled to reach their hometowns.

After complaints that taxis were expensive, the government arranged four SETC buses to shuttle from the airport — two to Kanniyakumari via Villupuram, Tiruchy and Madurai, one to Coimbatore via Selam and Erode and another to Nagapattinam. The ticket fare is up to Rs 2,000 and 30 passengers are allowed to travel on a bus.

However, passengers still prefer hiring taxies as the SETC buses drop them on National Highways and it is difficult to get taxies or other modes of transport from there to reach their destination, especially with a lot of luggage.

A few international passengers DT Next spoke to said that they were not aware of the government bus facility as there was no announcement regarding that.