Numbers don’t add up for MTC users

CHENNAI: An

unannounced change

in

MTC

bus route numbers has left a lot of passengers confused.


In the last three weeks, MTC Chennai has changed the nomenclature of at least 15 bus routes. These include prominent routes like M7 (T Nagar-Thiruvanmiyur), 7B (Korattur-Parry’s Corner), 522 (Adyar-Sholinganallur-Acharavakkam) and 5A (Tambaram-T Nagar). From now on, these routes will be known as 3, 35, 102M and 51A respectively.

Besides this, MTC has changed prefixes and suffixes of certain routes like G70 (Vadapalani-Guduvanchery) and 37G (Poonamalle to Vallalar Nagar)

“The general public is kept in the dark regarding such changes... this will lead to a further drop in MTC’s patronage. What stops them from releasing a press statement on the changes?” asked Rama Rao from Traffic and Transportation Forum, Chennai.

People not used to names of areas in Chennai might avoid unfamilar bus route numbers assuming it to be a detour (even if the destination and source are mentioned with key bus stops in the board). They end up using share autos after waiting for long, said Ravi Kumar, a regular MTC-user from Tambaram.

SA Vijayakumar, a retired transport corporation staff, explained a brief history of the MTC’s penchant for numbers. He said in the early 1950s, buses were chosen based on sectors. For example, buses plying via Triplicane were numbered ‘1’ while ‘3’ series were operated via Parry’s Corner. Later as the city expanded, double-digits were introduced and prefixes and suffixes were added as routes were extended. “At one point, it got all messed up,” said Vijayakumar.

Politicians too renamed buses plying to their assembly constituencies with their initials. For instance, routes like 56J and M45K or K18 plied across RK Nagar and Saidapet constituencies from which late chief ministers J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi were elected in the past.

When contacted, MTC officials said that they were renaming bus routes based on the transport zones they belong to, as originally conceptualised.

K Sathapriyan, founder of TNSTC Enthusiasts, said it is good that MTC is trying to make its bus nomenclature uniform again.