The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Luxury buses ready, but wait for routes

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Friday, Sep 22, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Luxury buses ready, but wait for routes

P. Oppili

Passenger comfort and pleasing look are the special features

PASSENGER-FRIENDLY: The new luxury bus seen at the MTC's Central Depot on Pallavan Salai. — Photo: S.Thanthoni.

CHENNAI : Two new luxury coaches, built by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation, are ready to hit the city roads.

Fitted with pneumatic doors operated by the driver himself and plush seats, the coaches have features that add to passenger comfort and have a more pleasing look, compared to the rickety buses that commuters normally use.

MTC officials say they are yet to decide on routes on which the two luxury buses will be operated. But the service will be `super deluxe'.

Describing the features that have been built into the bus by the MTC's body-building unit, officials say whenever the driver opens or closes the door, a warning lamp and an alarm will alert the boarding/alighting passengers. This can help to avoid footboard travel.

Plastic moulded seats welcome the commuters inside and there is also more legroom for the passengers. The cushion-covered plastic seats have a longer life, compared to the present steel-framed seats, they say.

The bus floor has vinyl covering that adds to safety and comfort.

Built in the body-building facility at Chromepet, this bus has been provided with a fibreglass roof, which is leak-proof. The ceiling of the bus both inside and outside has a mica coat that helps in reducing heat radiation. As the bus has pneumatic doors, passengers will have to signal to the driver by pressing the bell that they want to get down.

When contacted, the officials said the date and the route on which the new luxury coaches would be operated had not been finalised yet.

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