Commute Archives

Will new underground stretch put Chennai Metro on the path to profits?

May 31, 2018 Laasya Shekhar

Chennai Metro Rail has inaugurated two new sections, making Chennai the only Indian city to have all its transport hubs – Koyambedu, Central and Airport – connected by Metro. However, high fares continue to keep occupancy low. Will CMRL’s strategy of providing free rides to attract commuters be successful in breaking the jinx?

What Chennai could learn from cycle-sharing in IIT Madras

February 21, 2018 Bhavani Prabhakar

IIT-M students have 600 bicycles on campus provided by Zoomcar, Ola and others, which they share during the day. The initial experience and hiccups may hold important lessons for a city trying to replicate the model on a larger scale.

In Digital India, why do we need a broker to renew our driving licence?

February 6, 2018 Raghukumar Choodamani

Incomplete digital records, lack of information on actual fees payable to the RTO, and intermediaries waiting to take advantage — that’s what a Chennai citizen comes up against, in something as simple as renewal of a driving licence.

Is TN transport department’s daily Rs 9.4-cr loss behind Chennai bus-riders’ woes?

January 8, 2018 Laasya Shekhar

Affidavit filed by official shows that the state transport unit suffered a loss of Rs 2981.57 crores in 2016-17. No wonder MTC workers have been left in the lurch over wage revisions and pension payments.

Metro to link Chennai Central and airport by March 2018

December 2, 2017 G Ananthakrishnan

A look at the new connections to be provided by Chennai Metro in early 2018 as well as some key features of the currently operational lines.

The story of how Chennai’s suburban rail commuters got usable toilets

July 8, 2017 Ranga Prasad

17,60,000 passengers travelling daily by the Chennai suburban railway had only nine toilets that they could use across 47 stations, till NGO Satta Panjayathu Iyakkam stepped in. The results hold important lessons for civic problem solving.

Chennai’s popular ‘share autos’ operating illegally

April 10, 2017 News Desk

Responses to RTI filed by blogger-journalist reveals complete lack of a regulated scheme for shared transport in Tamil Nadu.

People’s day out as Chennai gears up for T Nagar pedestrian plaza

March 16, 2017 ITDP India

Shoppers greeted the second trial run of the proposed Pondy Bazaar Pedestrian Plaza with great enthusiasm, even as shop owners had to be convinced that their businesses would not suffer.

Let us work towards an accident free nation

August 5, 2016 Meenakshi Ramesh

Does it not bother you that Chennai is the ‘accident capital‘ of India? And according to some reports, we have the second highest number of road accidents in the WORLD, after the Brazilian city of