Free bus rides to women will not be stopped: Minister Sivasankar

Transport minister Sivasankar on Monday said that his department has not floated a tender to operate private buses in Chennai. Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, the minister said, “The tender has been floated only to study the feasibility of operating private buses in the city and applications have been received only from the consulting firms.

A final decision in this matter would be taken only based on the feasibility report.” Pointing out that private buses are being operated in all the districts except Chennai and Kanyakumari, he said that they have decided only to consider the recommendations of the world bank and once the advisory team is formed, the report would be prepared within three months. “It is the AIADMK government that had turned the recommendation into a government order without studying it. 

Government buses is utterly false

The news regarding the government’s decision to stop government buses is utterly false.  The state government has allotted Rs 1,600 crore to continue providing free rides in the government buses. I assure you that the scheme will not be interrupted,” he added. Promising that the government is no way close to privatizing the transport department, he said that the government buses would not be handed over to private companies and they have been planning only to operate additional private buses wherever additional buses were required.