MTC plans 220 e-buses to ferry Metro Rail commuters

CHENNAI: In what could come as a big relief for thousands of Metro Rail commuters struggling with poor first and last-mile connectivity, the MTC is planning to roll out 220 air-conditioned electric feeder buses from Metro stations to more neighbourhoods.

The move is aimed at improving accessibility for passengers, who currently rely on share-autos, cabs, or two-wheelers to cover the distance between stations and their homes or workplaces. The feeder services, to be operated using 5-metre and 6-metre e-buses, will offer a more comfortable and affordable option.

MTC has called for a pre-tender consultation meeting with e-bus manufacturers and operators on November 3 to finalise plans for procurement, supply, operation, and maintenance of the buses. The project also includes developing charging and civil infrastructure on a gross cost contracting basis.

At present, only 22 feeder buses operate across 11 routes, covering just nine of the 44 Metro stations on the blue and green lines.

Many commuters have said that the limited number of routes and infrequent services make it difficult to depend on the feeder buses. MTC managing director T Prabhushankar said the new plan would address those gaps. “CMRL has identified key stations and routes where small, air-conditioned micro e-buses can operate through narrow lanes to reach residential areas. MTC will manage operations, and CMRL will decide the fares,” he said.

The new initiative comes at a time when CMRL is undertaking a massive Phase II expansion spanning 118.9 km with 128 stations across three corridors: Corridor 3 from Madhavaram to SIPCOT (45.8 km), Corridor 4 from Lighthouse to Poonamallee Bypass (26.1 km), and Corridor 5 from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (47 km). The Metro service is likely to be launched in the Poonamallee–Porur section of Corridor 4 by the end of this year.

While CMRL has requested MTC to add 20 more feeder routes, officials admit the current services are not financially sustainable. However, they hope that electric buses, with lower running costs and better passenger comfort, will make the service viable in the long run.

The initiative follows a consultation organised by the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) last week. The meeting brought together officials from MTC, CMRL, and the Transport Department to identify new feeder routes, integrate ticketing with CUMTA’s Chennai One mobile app, and explore ways to make last-mile travel easier for Metro users.