Chennai, June 18:
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Wednesday directed the Transport Department to procure only air-conditioned electric buses for all future fleet additions, as part of a long-term plan to modernise public transport across the state.
Chairing a high-level review meeting, he also instructed officials to take follow-up action on implementing a Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) with dedicated lanes to improve urban mobility and reduce congestion.
The Chief Minister reviewed proposals to extend free bus travel for women across Tamil Nadu, a key poll promise, and emphasised the need for sustainable and passenger-friendly transport solutions. He also called for the introduction of a smart card-based cashless ticketing system.
Officials informed that the eight State Transport Corporations currently operate 21,527 buses, catering to around 2.05 crore passengers daily. Nearly 64 per cent of passengers travel free under various welfare schemes, and services now cover 98.4 per cent of villages with populations above 1,000.
Discussions also focused on one-year, three-year and five-year action plans to improve efficiency and financial sustainability of transport corporations.
Plans were presented to establish 24×7 information and control centres at major bus terminals using GPS-based tracking systems. These centres will monitor bus movements in real time and be integrated with a central command hub proposed in Chennai.
Transport Minister A. Vijay Tamizhan Parthiban, Chief Secretary M. Sai Kumar, and other senior officials attended the meeting.