Sources said that the MTC was operating around 3,200 services regularly on as many as 1,000 routes. However, officials say that buses, which ply on some long routes, fail to generate enough revenue and this had prompted the MTC to devise an alternative plan. “At present, the MTC’s revenue is around Rs 2.50 crore, but it keeps fluctuating,” said sources. 

“Even though we are earning more income from several long routes, some routes have low patronage. For instance, a sizable number of buses are operated from Tambaram to Avadi and as far as revenue is concerned, it is not up to the satisfactory level,” pointed out an MTC official. He noted that while some buses ply with thin volume of passengers, a few other long routes like T Nagar to Siruseri, Velacherry and Sholinganallur see good crowd most part of the day. 

However, many feel that reducing or withdrawing the service, will affect the public in a big way. Aswathy Dilip, Programme Manager of Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), said, “Firstly, we have to identify the routes that have maximum patronage, following which route rationalisation can be carried out. Merely, reducing number of buses or cutting services will not help in boosting the revenue.” 

There should be a comprehensive study across the city before taking any decision as far as public transportation was concerned, she pointed out. When contacted, a senior MTC official admitted loss of revenue on some long routes. 

“We are exploring ways to increase the revenue. We will rope in NGOs to conduct a study of the long routes and then take a call,” the official said.