I received quite an interesting mail on someone's experience with Chennai MTC bus service. I repeat below the message:

Quote:----

Useful to persons who travel in MTC (Metropolitan Transport
Corporation) buses....

SAFETY IN BUSES

TRUE INCIDENT by Ranjani - Useful for people traveling on Chennai buses!!

" I m working in Chennai (Thoraipakkam), Chennai. I usually travel by
Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) bus, from jain college stop
(Which is near to my office) to Tidel park and from Tidel park I
catch the train, to home. MTC bus coming from Kelambakkam(19B,21H)
mostly wont stop in Tidel park in the early days. So I usually prefer
to get into T51 bus, which will stop at Tidel park stop. After some
time 19B started stopping in Tidel park also.

Today while returning from office at around 8.30 pm, I was in a hurry
to catch my 9.28 pm train at Tidel park. I got in a bus(19B) in Jain
College at around 8.45 pm, and asked the conductor to give a ticket
for Tidel park stop. He said, the bus won't stop there, and he asked
me to get down at signal if it stops there or else get down at the
stop next to Tidel park. I was arguing with him that I am going daily
with the same bus and get down at the tidel park stop. But he kept on
saying the same thing..
I got frightened with conductor response. Suddenly I remembered a
complaint phone no.(9884301013) I read in one bus sometime back and
noted down in my mobile. I called that No. and said about the
incident that the conductor is not stopping at the usual stop.

The MTC representative (person at the other end) asked me to give the
phone to the conductor. The conductor was not interested to talking
with this official. The MTC rep. asked me the bus no. He enquired
where is the bus at that time and I said it is in Kandhanchavadi. The
MTC rep said he will come in the line and talk to them. I was curious
how he will come and catch the bus.

After few mins a voice through the wireless transmeter/receiver (to
track the bus), near the driver in the bus started booming ...
"Driver stop the bus. Driver stop the bus on the left side of the
road." Driver was not sure what was happening may be his first
experience, for others (including me) it surely was the first
experience. The driver stopped the bus and listened to the
transmitter. The MTC rep. enquired why the bus is not stopping at the
Tidel park stop. The driver said he stops at Tidel park stop and in
the previous trip also he had done it. The rep. asked him then why
the conductor is saying like that. He asked the conductor what is the
issue. The conductor was frightened and was speechless. The driver
somehow pacified the official and managed the situation and supported
the conductor by saying that the conductor was new to this route. The
driver asked for being excused for the incident and said he will stop
at the Tidel Park stop.

The MTC rep. said he wanted to talk the passenger who called him. I
went near the transmitter and spoke to the MTC rep. He said sorry for
the what had happened and asked sorry on behalf of MTC. Everyone in
the bus was utterly surprised of things happening. I came back to my
seat and I was so embarrassed as all were looking at me. Few
passengers asked me what is the number, and whom I called. They also
took the number. The bus stopped at Tidel Park stop then. After
getting down I called the MTC rep. and said the bus stopped at the
stop.

It was a an elevating and nice experience for me and others who
traveled in the bus, including the driver and conductor and I was very
surprised after this incident as all buses are tracked. Yes, nowadays
good things are happening in government sector also and technology is
used properly."

Complaint Phone no. for Chennai MTC bus:
9884301013,9445030516,9383337639 ( Chennai)

Beats me why the media doesn't cover such technological introductions ......

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