After waiting for hours, passengers hold protest at Singanallur bus stand in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: All the four bus terminals in the city saw a heavy rush of passengers on Tuesday night due to two auspicious days (from Wednesday till Monday) and Bakrid (Thursday). The lack of adequate bus services triggered protests by passengers near Singanallur bus stand around 1.30am on Wednesday. Commuters alleged that inadequate buses and shortage of staffers continued to cause severe inconvenience during festival time. A shop owner at Singanallur bus stand said the crowd started gathering from 8pm on Tuesday onwards, and passengers struggled to get buses to Madurai, Theni and Trichy even after midnight. “The long wait forced commuters to stage a protest by 1.30am,” he said. A Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) staff member at Singanallur bus stand said special buses were usually operated only a day before festivals. “Bakrid falls on Thursday, and special buses are operated from Wednesday. Due to the auspicious wedding season and the weekend, the crowd was much higher than expected on Tuesday,” he said. Officials said around 370 buses, including 50 special buses, were operated from the Coimbatore district on Wednesday, and additional buses would continue for the next four days. Ukkadam bus stand handles buses towards Pollachi, Udumalpet and Palani while Singanallur bus stand caters to passengers travelling to southern districts. Buses towards Mettupalayam and Udhagamandalam are operated from Mettupalayam Road bus stand while Gandhipuram Bus Stand handles buses to Tirupur, Salem, Karur and Tiruvannamalai. All these bus stands saw heavy crowds on Tuesday nightDrivers and conductors alleged that continuous duties without adequate rest had become routine during weekends and festival seasons. A driver operating services to Theni said he had barely three to four hours of sleep due to back-to-back duties. Kasthuri, a commuter travelling from Madukkarai to Dharapuram in Tirupur with her three-year-old child, said she had waited for more than half an hour without getting a bus. Surya of Karaikal said his family had been waiting for nearly two hours for a bus to Nagapattinam. With schools also opening, passengers urged the govt to increase both buses and staff strength to handle the growing travel demand during festival and holiday seasons.