Tamil Nadu transport authorities will operate thousands of special buses from Chennai, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Tiruppur and Erode for Mahalaya Amavasya travel and the accompanying weekend rush, with additional services planned between October 9 and October 11.
The special operation is intended to support passengers travelling to their hometowns and temples for Mahalaya Amavasya, which falls on Saturday, October 10, according to a report by Dinamalar. The festival coincides with weekend holidays, prompting transport authorities to anticipate higher demand on inter-city routes.
From the Kilambakkam bus terminus in Chennai, 1,075 special buses are scheduled to operate on October 9 to destinations including Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchirappalli, Kumbakonam, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Kanniyakumari, Thoothukudi, Coimbatore, Salem and Tiruppur. A further 845 services are planned from Kilambakkam on October 10.
The plan also includes services from Chennai’s Koyambedu bus terminus. On October 9, 210 special buses will operate towards Nagapattinam, Velankanni, Hosur and Bengaluru. Another 180 services are scheduled on October 10.
Madhavaram will handle additional services on both October 9 and 10. The report said 145 special buses will operate each day from the terminus to Kallakurichi, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchirappalli, Kumbakonam, Vellore, Hosur and Puducherry.
The inter-city plan extends beyond Chennai. Around 200 special buses are scheduled to operate from Bengaluru, Tiruppur, Erode and Coimbatore to various destinations. These services are intended to support travel towards towns and cities that are likely to see increased passenger movement during the festival period.
Return travel has also been included in the plan. On October 11, 875 special buses are scheduled to help passengers return from their hometowns to Chennai and Bengaluru after the holiday period. The reverse-direction services are significant because the heaviest demand on festival weekends often occurs not only before the holiday but also when passengers return to work and educational centres.
Advance reservations recorded for the three-day period indicate substantial demand. The report said 8,708 passengers had booked seats for October 9, while 3,950 passengers had made reservations for October 10. For October 11, bookings stood at 7,480 passengers at the time of the announcement.
Passengers can make advance bookings through the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation’s website, www.tnstc.in, and the TNSTC mobile application. The special service schedule is focused on managing the additional movement expected during the festival and weekend period through separate departure points in Chennai and additional services from major cities.
The planned operations will run alongside regular daily bus services. The October 9 and 10 schedules cover outbound travel to religious, regional and employment centres, while the October 11 services are planned primarily for the return journey to Chennai and Bengaluru.
