Chennai MTC website misleads commuters

Confusing route information on the official website of the Chennai Metropolitan Transport Corporation and the failure to provide real time information or adequate signage reeks of a lack of focus on the commuter, writes this citizen blogger.

Wrong information is being put out on the official Metropolitan Transport Corporation of Chennai MTC website, www.mtcbus.org, on the routes that it operates. The website itself is unfriendly and the design is years old.

While MTC operates several ‘small bus’ routes, it has wrongly prefixed regular routes with S in the database, while not giving information on Small Bus routes. For example, the regular route 7E is prefixed as S07E from Broadway to Ambattur Estate. S26 has been listed as if it is a small bus, when in fact it is route 26, from Broadway to Iyyappanthangal. Such wrong information given over Internet confuses the public, especially someone visiting Chennai from outside.

MTC even invested in a facility like GPS to reflect actual bus operations but have failed to provide such real time information for a few years now. It removed the bus information boards from those stops where they functioned earlier, such as Omandurar Estate on Anna Salai, near the MLAs hostel, and the converted super speciality hospital housed in the former Secretariat.

All this reflects complete lack of application of mind by the administration at MTC, which needs to be shaken up for a more consumer-focused attitude to services.

[This post was originally published on the author’s blog here, and has been republished with minimal edits with permission]

Comments:

  1. A.Kaailash says:

    wish to inform that chennai MTC, has alloted & diverted its bus route no : 570 as 570—S to 50 buses along the stretch route koyambedu – siruseri & vice-versa. therefore the normal bus route of 570 – on the stretch from koyambedu to kelambakkam & vice- versa, has heavily got affected by the public, since 1 particular route, the frequency has been increased in high numbers.

    earlier, 568C were bing operated along the stretch of bus route from koyambedu to mahabalipuram & vice-versa, which was very useful for the public to get the bus in time by using the route conveniently for the passengers of public.

    but the present system of bus route has jeopardised & the public are facing difficult of hardships everyday highly on reaching their destinations.

    i kindly request the higher officials to look into the matter, & introduce the system of bus route which makes easy to use the bus transport in proper way.

    apart from that, another bus route of 570 has introduced & diverted in this stretch as from koyambedu to tiruporur via kelambakkam & vice-versa. as the route has been extended its distance additionally, the frequency has been reduced, therefore the public find very difficult to get the bus, & wait for long time to reach their concerned designated destination.

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