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Mini Bus
MINI BUS is a boon to Maduraiites. Chennai and Madurai are the only two places where a monopolistic operation of city bus exists. But for the introduction of mini bus, especially for the residents of extension areas, there would have been untold miseries on account of meagre city bus service.
Mini buses are well maintained, are punctual and the crew is courteous. Yet the TNSTC officials — instead of providing better service to the public and disciplining their staff — often book these mini buses and impose a heavy fine which makes the operators discontinue their service. Mini bus operators are in fact helping the Government by paying huge taxes whereas TNSTC is a liability incurring a loss of over Rs.250 crores.
Since the Government has no plans to augment the city bus service, elected representatives should ensure that more mini buses are introduced to ease traffic congestion.
Barnes Dhanaswami,
1 South Street,
Singarayar Colony,
Madurai-2.
***
MADURAI IS a peculiar city in Tamil Nadu where private town buses are not available for public use. There is no control over auto fares. Bus Stations are located at five different places. Therefore, the mini bus service is a boon for the people of this temple city. But it is not devoid of problems. The mini buses are not plying on some important routes. For instance, there is no service between Periyar bus stop to Ellis Nagar or from Arasaradi to Ellis Nagar. As the biggest ward of Madurai Corporation, a large number of middle class people and government servants reside in Ellis Nagar. Their needs should be looked into and the existing mini bus service should be improved and expanded.
G.Natarajan,
H 714, Ellis Nagar,
Madurai-625 010.
***
A MINI BUS passenger is like an unsuspecting victim. The travails of riding a mini bus unfurl only after one gets on to it. Loud music deafens the ears. Foul smell fills the interiors since commuters are packed inside the buses like sardines. When the bus negotiates narrow lanes and bylanes, potholes and pits, puddles of water and garbage dumps, narrow bends and corners, the journey becomes extremely uncomfortable, tedious, irritating and time-consuming. The commuter is left at the mercy of the inexperienced crew unable to handle the crisis. A thorough and intensive analysis is needed to improve the present state of affairs. Only then will people feel confident about this mode of transport.
S.V.Vaikundam,
Plot No. 139,
Swamy Vivekananda Nagar,
Madurai-7.
***
THE INTRODUCTION of mini bus system throughout the state is laudable. In particular, it is a dream come true for people like us who live on the outskirts of the city. It has even made us to forget that once we were not even remotely connected to the city. Now it has alleviated the burden of waiting for long hours at the bus stop for some town bus to appear. Most of the time, the long wait used to be futile.
With the plying of mini bus, lot of job opportunities have also emerged. However, the Government must ensure that no child labour is employed in this sector. The commuting rates also need to be regularised as one finds that the fares vary. The unaware commuter seems to believe that fare is decided by the respective bus owner plying on a particular route. Like the TNSTC, the mini buses should also follow a pre-determined number system for each routes to relieve the commuters of any discrepancies.
A.Thirumalai Prakash,
11, Roja Street,
IOC Nagar,
Madurai-18.
***
GRADUALLY THE mini buses are jeopardising the services of city buses. With lower fares and greater reach, people are opting for mini buses. It offers the commuter the choice of getting down wherever they want. In some mini buses the crew does not allow standing passengers. No wonder then that the mini bus has become a favourite mode of transport in such a short time.
R.Suresh Kannan,
III B.Sc., Physics,
Madura College,
Madurai-11.
***
MINI BUS service is highly beneficial to the people residing in rural areas. Even though the Government buses are plying on some routes, the mini bus are able to reach the interiors and to specific locations. Different sections of people are benefiting ever since the introduction of mini bus in the city. Office goers, school students, housewives and middle class are all preferring mini buses given their low fares and easy accessibility.
No doubt that the mini bus service has changed the face of transportation in Madurai. But I feel the Government should further streamline its operation to make it even better. Appointing trained drivers and conductors uniform ticket fares on all routes, speed control and adherence to traffic rules will go a long way.
R.Thamaraikannan,
55/R Meenakshi Colony,
Paravai - 625 402.
***
OPERATING MINI BUSES is a welcome move as it takes the load off the city buses. The arrival of mini bus has introduced healthy competition among the public carriage operators, taxis and autos and the consumers stand to benefit. A change is seen in the attitude of auto drivers who generally don't miss an opportunity to fleece passengers.
While mini buses have provided relief to passengers by plying on uncovered routes, there is a lot to be changed or improved in their service too. Majority of the minibuses are assembled on the chassis of old goods vehicle. As a result, the journey is back breaking especially when they are running on the ill-maintained roads. For mini bus operators, passenger's comfort ends with blaring FM Radio and loud speakers perhaps. Minibuses are also known to ignore rules and regulations. The enforcers of the MV Act often turn a blind eye to traffic violations.
V.Thiruvengadanathan,
4-3-29, Third Street,
Railway Nagar, Madurai.
***
THE MINI bus services are undoubtedly a boon for all those residing at the city's periphery and suburban areas. The mini bus, unlike city bus, has more halts and at short distances. Passengers can even enjoy the luxury of waving at the bus to stop it at any point of convenience. The authorities should identify more pockets of unreached dense population around Madurai and extend the mini bus service. But the service is not a perfect one. The behaviour of staff falls short of expected norm. They only shout and scream at every stop trying to load on maximum number of passengers. The music they continuously play inside the mini buses is often more of a discomfort than a source of entertainment given its high volume.
R D.Chelliah,
12-4-8, Sastha Nagar,
Madurai-17.
***
INTRODUCTION OF mini buses has minimised the hassles of commuters travelling by the State-run buses. Frequent service and even to the interior places has eliminated the waiting time for passengers. Compared to the staff in Government buses, the behaviour of drivers and conductors in mini buses is much more cordial. The mini bus service should be extended to Periyar Bus Stand and the railway station for the benefit of public. Political interference should be discouraged.
S.N.Gurusamy,
Annai Nagar, Anna Nagar,
Madurai.
***
MINI BUS is like a miracle road transport. It has ushered in a new trend in village road transport. Villagers stand to gain immensely as mini buses have bridged the gap between villages and towns and help them in ferrying their goods. Several unemployed youths have got a job with the introduction of mini bus service. They take interest in decorating their vehicles in a bid to attract passengers.
V.R.Panneer Selvam,
P.No:20, Bharathiyar 1st Street,
C.I.T.U. Colony, Ramamurthy Nagar,
New Vilangudi, Madurai-18.
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