Holiday rush triggers protest at Madurai bus stand, TNSTC runs extra buses

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Madurai: Following a protest by passengers stranded at the MGR bus terminus in Mattuthavani on Sunday morning, Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) Madurai operated additional buses to Chennai and other destinations to clear the extra rush.

The bus stand witnessed higher-than-usual footfall as the long Bakrid weekend and the final Sunday before the end of summer school holidays drew thousands of travellers returning to Chennai, Coimbatore and other cities. Families, students and workers crowded platforms through the day as regular services struggled to meet demand.

Passengers alleged that there were no buses to Chennai after late Saturday night and during the early hours of Sunday. Lakshmi, a passenger from Kanyakumari district, said she was directed to Madurai after being told that no Chennai-bound buses were available from her hometown after 9pm. “I reached Madurai after midnight and was informed there were no buses. I spent the entire night at the bus stand without sleep and with my luggage. We had no clear information on when a bus would arrive,” she said.

Around 200 passengers gathered at the terminus and held a protest demanding additional services. Police held talks with TNSTC officials and dispersed the crowd after assurances were given. Transport officials said a large number of mofussil buses had been deployed as Vaikasi Visakam festival specials for nearby districts and 31 special buses were also operated to Tiruvannamalai, affecting availability on some routes.

Officials said 15 unreserved buses to Chennai had been operated until 9pm on Sunday and another 10 were kept ready to clear the rush. Ten reserved services were also operated and bookings for another 10 buses were opened on Sunday afternoon. For Coimbatore, 20 buses had departed by 9pm and another 20 were scheduled to leave later in the night.

TNSTC Madurai said about 50 additional government buses were being operated to handle the return rush. However, passengers alleged that private omni bus operators took advantage of the demand. “Some operators charged two to three times the normal fare because people were desperate to reach Chennai,” said R Prakash, a passenger waiting for a bus to the capital.