Tamil Nadu: The first fleet of low-floor buses has arrived in Chennai after a gap of almost six years. These unique blue buses, stationed at Chromepet depot, can carry up to 70 passengers, including 35 seated, and will begin services this month. Designed to facilitate easy boarding and alighting for passengers with disabilities, these buses mark a significant development.

Activists had filed a case against the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), which initially cited cost constraints, floods, and narrow streets as reasons for not procuring low-floor buses, as per a report by Times Of India.

At least 350 new low-floor buses must be added to the fleet, alongside standard city buses, according to court directives. Each low-floor bus costs approximately Rs 90 lakh, significantly more than the standard buses priced around Rs 55 lakh.

Preparations for the reintroduction of low-floor buses are currently underway at the Chromepet bus depot. The buses are undergoing final inspections, with Regional Transport Office (RTO) registrations expected to be completed soon. An additional 50 buses are slated to join the fleet within the next month, aiming to modernise Chennai's ageing bus network.

"The reintroduction of low-floor buses is expected to not only enhance accessibility but also improve public transport patronage, particularly among disabled individuals, senior citizens, and children. Past deployments of low-floor buses in routes such as 21G (Tambaram-Broadway), 576 (Kancheepuram- Saidapet), and 114 (Koyambedu-Red Hills) received positive feedback from commuters for their ease of use and comfort," K Anbalagan from Tamil Nadu transport employees (stop-corruption) federation told ΤΟΙ.

Beyond Chennai, plans are being made to introduce another 200 low-floor buses to TNSTC Coimbatore and TNSTC Madurai, further enhancing public transport services across Tamil Nadu.