17 bus ticket centres open for Pongal special buses

Speaking to the reporters, State Transport Minister MR Vijayabhaskar said that 15 of the 17 ticket booking centres will operate in Koyambedu bus stand (CMBT) and two centres in Tambaram MEPZ and Poonamallee bus stands. “Passengers can book tickets from here for special buses to be operated for the festival,” he said.

The counters will be open from 7 am to 9 pm. Also, special counters have been opened for women, senior citizens and differently-abled commuters.

Meanwhile, a department press release stated that more than 1.30 lakh passengers have booked their bus tickets across the State to travel on Pongal holidays. Of the total online tickets booked, 53,261 tickets are booked by passengers from Chennai. The state transport corporations have earnedRs 6.84 crore by online ticket booking as on Thursday.

The government has made arrangements to operate 30,120 special buses from January 10 to January 14 to clear the rush. Similarly, 25,871 special buses will be operated from January 16 to January 19. Chennai buses will leave from Koyambedu bus stand, Madhavaram bus stand, Poonamallee bus stand, Tambaram MEPZ and Tambaram railway station.

Apart from the special booking counters, passengers can also buy tickets for long-distance buses through www.tnstc.in, www.redbus.in, www.paytm.com, www.busindia.com and www.goibibo.com online platforms.

To ensure the free movement of buses at toll plazas, separate lanes for buses would be opened at toll plazas and heavy vehicles would be banned from entering the city limits from 4 pm to 2 am, said Vijayabhaskar. “During the previous year, over 7 lakh passengers travelled from Chennai. This year we expect the number to rise to 8 lakh,” he added.

Also, the department will operate a 24x7 control room (9445014450 and 9445014436) from which commuters can get the details of buses and raise complaints, if required. Passengers could contact the control room through

“If the passengers feel that they are being fleeced by the omnibus operators, they can contact toll-free number 1800 425 6151,” the Minister said.