Transport workers seek regulation of minibus service in Madurai

Condemning the unruly operation of minibuses in the city and in Periyar bus stand, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, All Indian Trade Union Congress and Tamil Nadu Transport Staff Federation staged a protest outside the Madurai North Regional Transport Office here on Tuesday.  

CITU general secretary P. M. Alagarsamy said that most of the minibuses operating in the city were not adhering to permit locations. “If their permit allows them to drive from Mattuthavani through Iyer Bungalow to Anaiyur and Koodal Nagar, they take completely opposite routes of their own choice.”   

While their mandate was to cover 65% of the unserved routes in the district, they often drove on service routes, which would already be covered by government buses, to earn more revenue. “Also, since they do not have a fixed schedule schedule like government buses, they choose random timings and routes and disturb the revenue and services of government buses, he further said.  

It was an apparent violation of transport regulations and the unregulated operation was severely impacting the public transport system and required immediate intervention. When there were strict instructions not to operate minibuses at night, they tend to break that one too. 

Another issue was overcrowding in Periyar bus stand, which left little space for government buses to board and deboard passengers. “The unregulated entry and exit of the minibuses exacerbate the space constraint problem at the bus stand and hinder smooth operations,” he added.  

Despite several accidents due to minibuses, police and Road Transport Authority officers had not taken any action to resolve the issue. The district administration and transport officers must take immediate measures to address the issue, he said.