MTC enhances bus safety with automatic doors in Chennai

To enhance safety for school and college students, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) in Chennai has installed automatic doors on over 900 buses.

The Corporation also decided to place glass panels on windows near the entry and exit stairs to prevent access to rods used by footboard travellers.

Retrofitting work, which began in February, has recently been completed on both deluxe and ordinary service buses.

The mechanical doors were primarily installed on J series buses, which are in better condition.

However, the older I series buses, which are worn out, did not receive these doors. Deluxe buses already had doors.

Officials stated that the full impact of these new doors will be observed once schools and colleges reopen this month.

Older buses will continue operating without doors until they are replaced with new ones.

These I series buses cannot be further modified as per sources. This is because they are older, i.e. they are at least 12 years old, so cannot be modified. A significant portion of these old buses will soon be replaced with new ones.

The installation of doors has slightly reduced the space for stairs, causing commuters to take more time to board and deboard. MTC bus personnel expressed their relief at the installation of these doors.

MTC officials emphasized that until new buses are operational, conductors must follow standard operating procedures regarding footboard travellers.

MTC’s current fleet consists of 3,100 buses, operating across 629 routes. The corporation serves approximately 29.5 lakh commuters daily.

Each bus covers around 265 to 270 kilometres daily, making MTC the largest public transport operator in terms of operation in the country.

The new safety measures aim to prevent accidents and ensure a safer commuting experience for all passengers, particularly students.

The MTC’s proactive approach highlights its commitment to enhancing public transport safety and efficiency.

Image Credit: Srikanth Ramakrishnan/BESTpedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MTC-AshLey-Electric-Bus-BMTC.jpg