Pongal Festival Travel: Over 2.47 Lakh Passengers Depart from Chennai
With the Pongal festival approaching, a massive travel rush has been witnessed in Chennai as people from various districts return to their hometowns to celebrate the harvest festival with their families.
As per the annual trend, residents of Chennai and other major cities in Tamil Nadu began travelling to their native places well in advance. This year, the movement of passengers started from January 9, with both regular and special bus services being operated to manage the festive rush.
Bus Services and Passenger Statistics
According to official data, as of midnight on Saturday (January 10):
- 2,092 regular buses
- 712 special buses
were operated from Chennai, taking the total to 2,804 buses in a single day. Through these services, 1,26,180 passengers travelled from Chennai.
In the 24-hour period from January 9 to January 10 midnight, a total of 5,510 buses were operated. Of these:
- 2,18,900 passengers had booked tickets in advance
- 2,47,180 passengers travelled in total
This information was confirmed by the State Express Transport Corporation.
