Udhagamandalam: Collector J Innocent Divya flagged off 14 new buses of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) in Ooty on Friday. Of the 19 buses allotted to the district, five buses were inaugurated by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami at a state-level function held in Chennai on July 3.
According to officials, the 19 buses attached to the Nilgiris division of TNSTC are for long route services. “While seven are for interstate services (Karnataka), eight buses are to ply to Erode from Ooty, Kotagiri and Gudalur,” said a transport department official.
“These buses replace the old ones that are to be taken out of service. The service-routes for the new buses are the same as the old buses. All the 19 old buses will be sent to Mettupalayam yard and later will be auctioned,” said the official.
New bus has 52 seats compared to 59 in old one, however, new buses have better leg room. The Nilgiris division has a total of 385 buses, including mini buses. tnn