Chennai, September 2026 : Tamil Nadu State Transport Undertakings will operate 5,400 special buses over five days to meet the expected surge in passenger traffic ahead of Vinayaka Chaturthi, auspicious wedding dates and the extended weekend.
The additional services will operate from Thursday to Monday, connecting Chennai with major towns and cities across Tamil Nadu as well as neighbouring states.
Kilambakkam bus terminus, the main departure point for south-bound services, will handle the largest share of the additional buses. As many as 585 special buses will operate from Kilambakkam on Thursday, followed by 1,255 on Friday, 1,030 on Saturday and 650 on Sunday.
The services will connect Chennai with destinations including Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchy, Kumbakonam, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Kanniyakumari, Thoothukudi, Coimbatore, Salem, Erode and Tirupur.
Koyambedu bus terminus will also operate additional services during the holiday period. The transport corporations will run 240 special buses from the terminus on Friday and Saturday, besides 105 services on Sunday. These buses will connect Chennai with Tiruvannamalai, Nagapattinam, Velankanni, Hosur and Bengaluru.
Corresponding return services have been arranged from these destinations to Chennai to manage passenger demand.
At Madhavaram terminus, 110 additional buses will be operated daily from Friday to Sunday. These services will cover Kallakurichi, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchy, Kumbakonam, Vellore, Hosur and Puducherry.
Outside Chennai, another 200 special buses will operate from Bengaluru, Tirupur, Erode and Coimbatore to various destinations. Transport authorities have also planned for the post-holiday return rush, with 765 additional buses to be deployed on Monday from different locations to Chennai and Bengaluru, depending on passenger demand.
The special services have been staggered to accommodate the expected movement of passengers leaving Chennai before the festival and returning after the extended holiday.
Kilambakkam will account for 3,520 outward special services between Thursday and Sunday, while Madhavaram will operate 330 and Koyambedu 585 services during their respective schedules.
Advance ticket bookings indicate strong demand. According to the Managing Director of the State Express Transport Corporation, 8,666 passengers had booked tickets for Thursday, while bookings for Friday stood at 32,171. Saturday bookings were 18,772, followed by 11,177 for Sunday and 23,740 for Monday.
Officials expect bookings to increase further as Vinayaka Chaturthi approaches. Passengers travelling long distances have been advised to reserve seats in advance to avoid overcrowding and last-minute inconvenience.
Tickets can be booked through the official TNSTC website or the TNSTC mobile application.
