Passenger travel in Chennai metropolis ~ Pallavan to Electric !!

Do you know or remember No. 1 route in 1970s & 1980s !!!  A very common scene in old Tamil movies – Heroine lands in the capital MadraS – Central railway station, Mount Road, LIC building, Red colour Pallavan Transport buses plying on not so busy arterial road !! 

 

Pallavas ruled Tamil land .. .. the  Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a portion of southern India. They gained prominence after the eclipse of the Satavahana dynasty.  They were a great force to reckon with  during the reign of Mahendravarma I (571 – 630 CE) and Narasimhavarma I (630 – 668 CE) and dominated the Telugu and northern parts of the Tamil region for about 600 years until the end of the 9^th   century. Throughout their reign they were in constant conflict with both Chalukyas of Badami in the north and the Tamil kingdoms of Chola and Pandyas.  Pallavas are most noted for their patronage of architecture, the finest example being the Shore Temples at  Mahabalipuram. 

Back home during 1981-84 – we relished going to DG Vaishnav College in Arumbakkam by Pallavan bus – 27G (27B was the regular) – and the genial conductor by name Mr. Ganesan.  It was a ride to remember starting Triplicane around 0825 and reaching Arumbakkam in an hour !.  Pallavan buses were initially Red in colour; later Green and much later Golden yellow; – incidentally  27G was Red Ashok Leyland bus ~ now  do you travel by city buses still or drive your way in the city traffic or prefer the autos ?  or when was the last time, you travelled in bus inside the city ? 

In the city of Chennai, presently buses are operated by the  Metropolitan Transport Corporation ~ the same Corporation was earlier known as PTC - Pallavan Transport Corporation.  The transport corporation was established on 1 January 1972 with a fleet strength of 1029 buses. The operational  jurisdiction  was restricted to  Chennai Metropolitan area only.    Pallavan Transport Corporation was split into two and a new Corporation, namely, Ambedkar Transport Corporation Ltd. started functioning in 1994.  In 1997, more changes saw, Pallavan Transport Corporation being  renamed as Metropolitan Transport Corporation (Chennai Division –1), Ambedkar Transport Corporation  renamed as Metropolitan Transport Corporation (Chennai Division-II). In 2001, amalgamation took place and now it is MTC. 

Numbers were  confusing.  27 ran  from Anna Square to Anna Nagar; 27B from Annasquare to Arumbakkam, later -  Koyambedu bus terminus; 27D between Villivakkam and Foreshore Estate. Some had Suffixes to Numbers; some had prefixes while some had both !!!  21H; T51; M70S.   Previously the route guides in vernacular used to sell like hot cakes – not sure whether they are still existent in this e-age where everyone tries to make a google search !!

Understand that recently – four Private firms participated in the Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s tender to induct 600 low-floor electric buses, including 400 AC units, under Phase II of its fleet electrification initiative.  According to the State government’s eProcurement portal, bids were submitted by Hyderabad-based EVEY Trans, Eagle Construction, OHM Global Mobility, and Traveltime Mobility India. The technical bids opened on June 10 with the financial bids to be opened in the next stage. As per the Least Cost Selection method, the successful bidder will be chosen based on the lowest weighted average cost/km.  Earlier, MTC had awarded a similar contract to OHM Global Mobility, a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, for 625 electric buses, including 225 AC buses, also under the World Bank-supported initiative. The launch of this fleet is expected shortly.

 

This morning saw this bus near Vivekanandar Illam – Switch E bus – being checked for functional aspects including passenger friendliness. Switch Mobility, formerly known as Optare, is a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland that specializes in electric buses and light commercial vehicles. They offer a range of electric buses, including the EiV12 and E1 models, designed for urban transportation.  Think that each bus could cost a Crore or nearer.

Electric buses are not new in Public transport – have seen them in Bengaluru and more so, in Thirumala ghat route !!

 

If you remember that Q at the start !  - route no. 1 of Pallavan was – Triplicane OT (Open Terminus) to Royapuram Kal Mandapam.  I think presently route no. operates between Thiruvotriyur to Thiruvanmiyur without touching Triplicane.

 
Regards – S. Sampathkumar
20.6.2025