Chennai special buses and regular services carried 4.15 lakh passengers during the three-day Ayudha Pooja holiday rush from October 15 to 17, according to the transport department, which operated 9,571 buses from the city during the period.
The fleet included 6,573 regular services and 2,998 special buses. Of the special services, 2,528 were operated by state transport corporations and 470 by private operators, according to the department’s figures.
The additional services were arranged to accommodate increased passenger demand during the festive holiday period. Special buses operated from five locations across Chennai: the Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus at Kilambakkam, the Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MGR Bus Terminus at Koyambedu, Madhavaram bus terminus, the temporary bus terminus at the CMDA climate park and the temporary bus terminus at Maraimalai Nagar.
On October 15, transport authorities operated 2,546 buses, comprising 2,191 regular services and 355 special buses. These services carried 1.15 lakh passengers, the department said.
The number of special services increased on each of the following days. On October 16, 3,346 buses were operated until midnight, including 2,191 regular services and 1,155 special buses. They transported 1.47 lakh passengers.
On October 17, the final day covered by the department’s figures, 3,679 buses were operated until midnight. The services comprised 2,191 regular buses and 1,488 special buses, carrying 1.53 lakh passengers.
The daily figures show that passenger movement rose from 1.15 lakh on October 15 to 1.53 lakh on October 17, while the number of special buses increased from 355 to 1,488. Across the three days, regular services remained at 2,191 buses per day, while additional capacity was deployed as demand grew.
The use of five operating locations reflects the transport department’s arrangement for distributing festive services across Chennai’s major bus terminals and temporary facilities. The figures released by the department cover both state-run and privately operated special services and provide the reported passenger and service totals for the holiday period.
