The Hindu : Front Page : MTC to add 50 vestibule buses

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 26, 2006

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MTC to add 50 vestibule buses

P. Oppili

Completes tender process; looking for a suitable company for building bodies

LOAD TAKERS: An MTC vestibule bus on Anna Salai.

CHENNAI: The Metropolitan Transport Corporation will soon add 50 vestibule buses, high capacity public transport vehicles, to its fleet.

According to MTC sources, the tender process for buying the vehicles is over and the authorities are looking for a suitable company that can build the bodies. The `Mega Vestibule Buses' are operated by the Delhi Transport Corporation. The length of a bus is 15.614 metres, (about 45 feet) and it can carry nearly 200 persons. These buses will reduce the waiting time of passengers.

At present a few private companies in Jalandhar and Hyderabad are involved in building bodies, officials said.

The MTC operates vestibule buses on 42 routes including High Court - Vandalur, High Court - Guduvancheri, Tambaram - Avadi and Anna Square - Avadi.

Problems rectified

An MTC official said the existing vehciles faced two major technical problems in the bellows portion (that connects the front and rear portions and comprises a turntable). As the bellows are made of canvas, they are vulnerable to vandalism.

Therefore, they are being replaced with fire retardant synthetic fabrics. This will ensure their durability.

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