TN: From January 9–14, Tennessee will run 10,245 customized buses for the Pongal holiday
Tamil Nadu : Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar announced a comprehensive travel plan across the state ahead of the Pongal festival, with thousands of extra buses running to guarantee easy and hassle-free passenger mobility over the holiday season.
In order to handle the anticipated spike in passenger traffic, the Minister announced in an official statement that 10,245 special buses will be run across the state between January 9 and January 14.
When these extra services are added to the 12,552 buses that run every day, there will be 34,087 buses on the road during the festival.
According to the Transport Department, around 11.35 lakh people would travel from Chennai alone to different regions of the state to celebrate Pongal at their hometowns. To reduce congestion and guarantee better traffic flow, commuters have been encouraged to take other routes like the East Coast Road (ECR) and Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) in light of the high volume of vehicles anticipated on key arterial roads.
According to the Minister, a 24-hour control center has been established to help passengers and handle complaints. Officials will be on duty around-the-clock to resolve issues linked to travel and provide required advise.
Additionally, the Minister warned Omni bus operators that anybody found to be charging tickets beyond the allowed limits would face severe consequences.
Enforcement teams will be stationed at bus stops, checkpoints, and important transit locations to keep an eye on fare infractions and stop passenger exploitation during rush hour.
The state government has created a different strategy to handle the expected traffic on the way back to Chennai after the Pongal celebrations.
In addition to 2,092 normal daily trips, up to 6,820 special buses will be run. The return passenger flow will be handled by a total of 21,635 buses, including the customary 12,552 vehicles.
According to the Minister’s breakdown of the special bus services by date, 1,050 buses will run on January 9, 1,030 buses on January 10, 255 buses on January 11, 2,200 buses on January 12, 2,790 buses on January 13, and 2,920 special buses on January 14.
In order to accommodate customers’ early departures before to the major Pongal festivities, special bus operations will start on January 9. During one of the most popular travel times of the year, the Transport Department has guaranteed that every arrangement is in place to guarantee the public safe, economical, and comfortable travel.