Chennai- Tamil Nadu Transport Department targets to replace 52.73% of its used buses, totalling 10,582 out of 20,260 buses, 7,682 new buses in the current financial year. The current average age of buses is 9 years.
The combined fleet strength of Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), State Express Transport Corporation (SETC), and six other undertakings of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) is 20,260, of which 18,728 are operation every day.
It further indicated that out of the planned 7,282 buses, 652 have already been put into operation, and the remaining are scheduled to be rolled out by April 2025. Consequently, 7,030 worn-out buses will be removed.
Additionally, plans include introducing 1,000 electric buses in Chennai under a Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model, with 500 eco-friendly buses to be launched initially. Furthermore, about 1,500 bus chassis are designated for vehicle reconstruction, with 839 refurbished buses already deployed and the rest to be launched soon.
According to an official note, 10,582 buses in the state are overaged. Over the past three years, intensive repair and maintenance efforts have reduced the average breakdown rate from 10% to 1% and 2% for every 10,000 km travelled.
Despite financial constraints, the department plans to purchase 1,000 new buses for each of the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24, and 3,000 new buses for 2024-25. Additionally, 16 new buses will be procured under the Special Area Development Programme (SADP), and 2,666 buses are slated for purchase with funding from KfW, a German-based bank.
Public bus transport estimated travel of 17.6 million passenger, including 5.147 million women and others who benefit from free travel, utilizing 7,179 ordinary buses.
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