The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : A visitor's guide to Chennai buses

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Thursday, Jul 15, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

A visitor's guide to Chennai buses

By Daniel Patrick Russell

Safety takes a backseat. — Photo: T. Duraipandi

CHENNAI, JULY 14. Chennai's autorickshaw drivers are notorious for ripping off residents and visitors alike. So what other option does a visitor have to get around? The Rough Guide to South India recommends taking the bus. Chennai buses, the authors write, are "regular, inexpensive, and only cramped during rush hours."

A visitor to Chennai will find that the buses, yes, are fairly regular. They are definitely inexpensive. Cramped however is an understatement to describe the situation inside the Metropolitan Transport Corporation's (MTC) mostly green buses.

Many visitors, particularly those from abroad, will never get so close to so many other people. The crush leaves no room for personal space whatsoever. Even the notoriously crowded London Underground pales in comparison.

Chennai bus riders soon after boarding find their senses assailed — if they can get on, that is. Hanging on to the bars that run along the length of the bus, it is a challenge to stay upright as the driver swings the bus around a corner. A trickle of sweat begins to run down the back, a stray arm pushed into the face, coconut-oiled hair is unavoidable, and if travelling in the evenings, there is a whiff of cheap alcohol. The oppressive heat and the ache in the arms all add to the encounter.

Once one manages to get inside, there is the issue of getting off. The bus is crowded and the windows grimy, making it impossible to see which part of town you are in. So a new arrival to city will quickly have to learn to navigate by smell and movement. The stench as the bus crosses the Cooum or the fish market of Chitandripet is an excellent guide to the correct stop. The conductor, if you can see him, will also point it out. However, the buses are so packed that those wanting to alight at a particular stop will have to start early and squeeze themselves out of the mass of humanity.

Hanging out of the bus are the bus surfers who shun those sweltering inside. These surfers are usually young men who insist on hanging out the doorways. Doors, of course, do not exist here. They get their thrills out of running alongside the bus and then, like surfers, jumping on to catch the bus, holding and balancing themselves as if on a large metal wave, as the bus weaves its way through the city traffic. They pass their books inside to kindly passengers or just slip them into a corner to pick up just before they arrive at their destination.

Anyone new to Chennai will find the passengers quite helpful. In the rush the conductor sits pretty on his chair by the rear door demanding fares. If he is unreachable, the coins are passed up via intermediaries. The flimsy tickets are returned crumpled and damp with sweat.

The MTC buses are considerate of women and half the seats are reserved for them. The reservations is so widely accepted that at times there is a line of men standing down one side of the bus refusing to cross the unwritten social divide let alone sit in a reserved seat even if it is empty.

A visitor to Chennai will also find that buses go to most places and bus stops are easy to find. They should not be put off travelling by bus if they are ready for an adventure.

(Daniel Patrick Russell is a visiting journalist from the United Kingdom.)

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