The commuters in the city have welcomed the announcement of the State government for procuring 3,000 new buses this financial year. The proposal to purchase 500 electric buses would help in linking the various modes of transport in the expanding city limits.
In the Tamil Nadu Budget presented by Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, 3,000 new buses, along with 500 electric buses, are proposed to be procured. The 500 electric buses would be bought with the financial assistance of German-based bank KfW.
Citing the introduction of mini bus services by former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in 1997, the Finance Minister said the services will be extended to rural areas adjacent to rapidly growing urban localities.
Transport activist V. Rama Rao said no new buses have been purchased in the past two years. The proposal to add 3,000 new buses to the eight State Transport Corporations (STCs) and the calling of tender for purchasing 500 electric buses through the Institute of Road Transport (IRT) would help in boosting the fleet of the MTC to provide multi-modal link with the metro and suburban trains.
In the Budget estimates, the State government has allotted a subsidy of ₹3,050 crore for free bus travel for women, ₹1,521 crore for concessional travel of students and ₹1,800 crore for diesel.
Published - February 19, 2024 08:34 pm IST
