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MTC runs 2.5k buses with 100 per cent seat occupancy again
After getting permission from the State government to operate buses with 100 per cent seat occupancy, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation on Tuesday operated about 2,500 buses in the city following the standard operating procedures in line with pandemic norms.
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migrator
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Chennai
Passengers were allowed to occupy all the seats after the government relaxed the norm of 60 per cent occupancy to maintain social distancing. They were permitted to travel only if they were wearing a face mask as per the SOP, said an official release from the MTC. However, several commuters complained that the buses were already being operated with full seat occupancy, with passengers travelling in standing for long now.
“Now the government had revised the SOP after its impractical restriction on occupancy. The government’s restriction of 60 per cent occupancy of the seats was not followed by the transport corporation buses. All the buses running in the Avadi-Ambattur stretches were overcrowded, with passengers travelling even on the footboard,” said K Dhanasekaran of Avadi. S Kamatchi, an employee of a private company at Guindy, said MTC should increase the number services to the pre-COVID level.
“What is the point on issuing orders when it was going to be violated? The government should increase the frequency of services and also resume suburban train services to reduce congestion on the buses. With the people returning to the normal life, the public transport should be fully restored,” she said.
An official said even though patronage has come down and incurring losses, the MTC has been operating over 2,500 buses a day. “If the local train services resumed, overcrowding in certain stretches would come down,” the official added.
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