The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : More revenue from MTC counter sale

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 09, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

More revenue from MTC counter sale

P. Oppili

Monthly collection hits Rs. 3 crore in 10 months

CHENNAI : Counters selling monthly season tickets and other tickets of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) have achieved an increase in revenue in the last 10 months.

In each of the 10 months, MTC authorities say, the 30 counters raked in Rs 3 crore. In fact, during two of the 10 months, the collection reached Rs.3.3 crore, officials said.

In the corresponding period last year, the collection was only around Rs 2.6 crore.

At present, 30 counters are functioning in the city and suburbs. With the opening of one more counter at the busy Central Railway Station recently, the authorities hope to increase collections.

The total monthly collection of Rs.3 crore from these counters represents 10 per cent of the MTC's total revenue, officials note.

The opening of the counter at the Central station meets a long-standing demand from commuters, especially those transferring from rail to bus, a senior officer told The Hindu .

Earlier such passengers would travel up to Broadway or to Anna Square, the nearest counter from the railway station, to buy monthly season tickets/students concession tickets or travel as you please tickets.

The counter at Broadway earns the highest revenue. Here the average monthly collection was about Rs 37 lakh.

Passengers' plea

A section of the passengers want the MTC authorities to install modernised counters for selling the tickets. Similarly, the authorities should take more efforts to popularise the monthly season tickets or travel as you please tickets, they felt.

The Corporation should adopt more passenger-friendly methods to increase the sale of the season tickets, they said.

Even for the sale of normal tickets, passengers demand appointment of more `stand conductors' at bus stops, especially on busy routes.

The stand conductors should be posted at not only crowded bus stops, but also in stops along heavily crowded routes.

Now that the State has a better co-ordination with the Union government, joint efforts should be made to introduce multi-mode ticketing system -- which can be used in both train as well as bus services, passengers added.

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