Soon students from far off Madharpakkam town, bordering Andhra Pradesh, will be able to travel to Chennai using free bus pass. Thetransport department is contemplating extending the reach of the city’s public transport provider (MTC) services to several towns, including Ponneri, Tiruvallur, and Arani in neighbouring Tiruvallur district. MTC will also operate buses from Tambaram to Chengalpet and Sriperumbudur.

“The department has decided to increase the radius of MTC’s operation of services to few mofussil areas, which would help passengers in far-flung areas to get direct buses to city easily,” sources said. “Hence, a few depots of Villupuram Transport Corporation adjoining Chennai would be merged with MTC. The boards of both corporations had given their approval for this merger,” sources said.

The Tiruvallur and Ponneri depots of Villupuram Corporation, which are 50 km from Chennai and operate buses to a radius of 50 km, would be merged with MTC. “From Tiruvallur depot, MTC will take over the operations of buses to Chennai, Avadi and Poonamallee, while distant routes like Tiruttani, Tirupati and Bangalore will be retained by Villupuram Corporation,” sources said.

Operations of Ponneri depot will come entirely under MTC. Now, buses are operated from here to places such as Madharapakkam, bordering Andhra Pradesh, and Arni, a tourist spot in Pulicat. MTC will also extend its arm towards the southern suburbs.

“Villupuram Corporation’s Tambaram depot, which is operating around 30 buses to places such as Chengalpattu and Sriperumbudur from Tambaram, will now come under MTC,” the sources said. This would impact 700 employees and more than 100 buses of Villupuram Corporation. “We have asked employees to decide whether to join MTC or remain with the parent body,” sources said.

MTC had extended its operation in November 2006 and been operating services to a few places in Tiruvallur, but now it will take complete control of those operations.