Commute | Citizen Matters, Chennai

Restarting public transport in the age of COVID-19: The challenge before Chennai

June 23, 2020 Varun Sukumar

In a city where 75% of residents express preference for public transport, providing safe mobility options in a post COVID world will be tricky.

Why is MTC paying reduced salaries, even to staff ferrying frontline COVID workers?

June 18, 2020 Laasya Shekhar

Hundreds of MTC workers protested in Chennai earlier this week, raising their voice against salary cuts and improper implementation of COVID-19 norms.

Flying into or out of Chennai? Travellers share their experience

June 1, 2020 Aruna Natarajan

Domestic air travel has been allowed since May 25th. What should flyers to and from the city expect?

Here’s an ideal way to commute in the post-COVID world; will Chennai take the opportunity?

May 28, 2020 Felix John

Cycling would be the best mobility solution for the city now, addressing safety as well as environmental concerns. Bicycle Mayor Felix John outlines the actions necessary to encourage cycling in the city.

Why Chennai Metro needs to pay more attention to use of public space

March 12, 2020 Varun Sukumar

The aim of any transport hub, like a metro station, should be to make the wait time for a passenger entertaining and hassle-free. This means effectively using the available space in multiple ways, some of which can also help boost non-fare revenue.

A year on, Chennai still awaits CUMTA

January 17, 2020 V Sriram

Hurdles in the formation of CUMTA has prolonged the chaos of public commute in the city; a central authority to provide a cohesive vision remains missing.

What can Chennai learn from London and Singapore to improve its public transport?

November 28, 2019 ITDP India

Cities like London and Singapore with sophisticated city-wide transportation systems can provide valuable lessons for Chennai as the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) becomes functional, having received the nod of the Tamil Nadu government earlier this year.

Five reasons why it takes half an hour to travel a kilometre on GST Road

November 26, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

Infrastructure lapse, weak traffic rule implementation and irresponsible citizen behaviour — all have a role to play in creating the traffic nightmare that GST Road presents today. A look at the top reasons and possible solutions

Behavioural change among citizens can be a game-changer: Bicycle Mayor Felix John

November 12, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

Felix John, an avid cyclist who has pedalled long distances, has been appointed the Bicycle Mayor for Chennai by an Amsterdam- based organisation. In this interview, he talks about his responsibilities and how to give a boost to cycling in the city.

Trying out eco-friendly initiatives for public transport

September 24, 2019 Varsha Venugopal

Data from the experiment, such as usage patterns, battery life, charging frequency etc will help the government scale up the use of electric buses across the city

சென்னையில் ஸ்மார்ட் பைக்கை உபயோகிப்பது எப்படி?

September 20, 2019 Aruna Natarajan

For our Tamil readers: A translated version of our article on the details of Chennai’s smart bike fleet, its overall performance so far and locations of the docking stations

Where and how can you ride a ‘smart bike’ in Chennai?

September 14, 2019 Aruna Natarajan

Since its launch in February this year, Chennai’s smart bike fleet has grown to 370 and sees, on average, 252 rides per day across all locations. A look at the details of the system and its overall performance so far

Chennai to see 100 women-driven electric autos soon: Yasmeen Jawahar, CEO, Makkal Auto

September 4, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

Makkal Auto in Chennai has positioned itself as one of the pioneers in the movement towards electric mobility in the city. We spoke to CEO, Yasmeen Jawahar, to know more about their newly launched electric autos and future plans for the same.

Chennai Buzz: City’s first Aadhaar Seva Kendra | Electric bus gets going | ECR cameras to nab traffic rule violators…and more

September 1, 2019 News Desk

On which route will you find Chennai’s first electric bus? What can the Aadhaar Seva Kendra help you with? And what is Chennai Metro’s latest initiative for its commuters? Catch all this and more in this weekly recap of news.

Why MTC ridership in Chennai fell by 20 crores in a year

August 31, 2019 Aruna Natarajan

The drop in ridership for MTC buses — the number of rides taken by bus across all trips — over the last two years has been quite drastic. What is pushing commuters away from buses and what can the MTC do about it?