The Tamil Nadu government has approved the purchase of 1,000 air-conditioned buses for operation in Chennai and sanctioned Rs 500 crore for the infrastructure required to run them, according to a government statement reported by Dinamalar. The state has also approved Rs 17.99 crore for vehicle location tracking devices and emergency alert buttons across 13,490 buses and 13,776 buses respectively.
The new AC buses will require electrical and mechanical infrastructure at transport corporation depots, and the government has decided to create these facilities as part of the rollout. The announcement did not specify the procurement schedule, bus specifications, routes or the number of depots that will be upgraded.
The decision places depot readiness alongside vehicle procurement in the expansion plan. Air-conditioned buses require supporting systems for charging or electrical supply, maintenance and workshop operations, although the government statement reported by Dinamalar did not provide further technical details about the proposed facilities.
The separate vehicle-monitoring programme is intended to strengthen passenger safety and improve operational supervision. The Tamil Nadu government said vehicle location tracking devices and emergency alert buttons would be installed across eight transport corporations. The systems are expected to allow authorities to monitor the location of buses, their operating speed, whether they are travelling on designated routes and emergency alerts in real time.
The state government said the monitoring system would improve supervision and enable transport authorities to take faster action when required. The tracking and alert equipment will cover a large share of the state transport fleet identified in the announcement, although the statement did not provide a corporation-wise or route-wise breakdown.
The allocation follows an earlier announcement in the state legislative Assembly by Transport Minister Thamizhan Parthiban. The minister had said that vehicle location tracking devices and emergency buttons would be installed to strengthen the safety of passengers and monitor bus operations. The government has now approved the release of Rs 17.99 crore to the transport corporations for implementation.
For Chennai commuters, the 1,000-bus purchase and the proposed depot works represent an expansion of the city’s public transport capacity, but the government has not yet announced when the buses will enter service. The effectiveness of the safety programme will depend on the installation of the devices, their integration with monitoring systems and the response procedures followed when alerts are triggered.
Chief Minister Vijay has instructed the transport corporations to expedite implementation of both the AC bus procurement and the vehicle-monitoring measures, the government statement said.
