True... I suspect how many passengers will travel between Amb. IE to Kelambakkam..?
With the rapid expansion of the city... is it not high time the MTC considered a Hub and spoke model... Not sure if this was discussed in this forum before. Let me try to give an example of my thought...
Lets assume that Tambaram be made a hub... Guduvanchery, Padappai, Vandalur etc are the typical end points of various buses.. Let MTC operate frequent buses between these end points and Tambaram (nearest Hub). From Tambaram, there will be buses to other Hubs, say Broadway, Tiruvanmiyur, T Nagar, Ambattur etc.. which would be made non-stop or with very few stops (4-5 max). Now, Tiruvanmiyur, Ambattur, T Nagar, Vadapalani etc. could again be made Hubs and connect with end points in their own zones (like Sholinganallur or Mogappair Guindy or Kundrathur respectively). So the model would be, the different end points will connect with nearest hub and there will be exclusive buses between different hubs..
So someone who wants to go from say Avadi to Kelambakkam, may have to transfer about 3 times...
The advantages i see is 1) More frequent buses to end points, as they may not travel the entire distance of a route.. 2) More dependable services to end points for people staying in sub-urban areas. 3) Effective utilization of buses and reduced fuel consumption. 4) Fewer buses on roads as many buses will operate within a specified zone.
Disadvantages i see 1) Confusion for people, atleast when this model is introduced for the first time. 2) Someone travelling very long distances, say Guduvanchery to Ennore, may have to transfer 3 or 4 buses. 3) Difficult to implement this model if the passenger is required to buy 3 tickets. For this, rationalization of ticket fares etc. should happen.
Will this work out for an expanding city like Chennai. Would it be a worthwhile idea for MTC or UMTA to consider?