Special buses for Christmas, weekend rush

The State Transport Corporations will operate special buses in addition to regular services for the Christmas festival and extended weekend, according to the Managing Director of the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC).
With heavy passenger movement expected across Tamil Nadu between December 23 and 25, transport authorities have planned additional services from Chennai and other major cities to ease congestion and handle the festival rush.
From Kilambakkam bus terminus, 255 special buses will be operated on December 23 and 525 special buses on December 24 to key destinations including Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchy, Kumbakonam, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Kanniyakumari, Thoothukudi, Coimbatore, Salem, Erode and Tirupur.
From the Koyambedu Moffussil Bus Terminus, 91 special buses will be operated on December 23 and 24 to Tiruvannamalai, Nagapattinam, Velankanni, Hosur and Bengaluru. Return services from these destinations have also been planned. In addition, 20 special buses will be operated from Madhavaram on both days.
To help passengers returning after the holidays, special buses will also be operated from various districts to Chennai and Bengaluru based on demand.
Advance booking trends show a significant travel surge, with 20,107 passengers already booking tickets for December 23 and 21,206 for December 24. For the return period, 7,578 tickets have been booked for December 26, 5,972 for December 27 and 14,256 for December 28.
Passengers travelling long distances have been advised to book tickets in advance through the official website www.tnstc.in or via the mobile application to avoid last-minute rush. Transport authorities have assured adequate arrangements for smooth and safe travel during the festive season.