It’s 6.30 p.m. on a Friday, and the stretch outside Hexaware Technologies in Sipcot, Siruseri, is lined with buses. It’s not what you are thinking — these are not the Volvo buses pressed into service by IT companies to ferry their workers home.
These buses belong to the Metropolitan Transport Corporation.
“In a little while, more MTC buses and more commuters would come in. On any week day, between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., this stretch will be choc-a-bloc with commuters boarding these MTC buses,” says D. Jayasudha, an employee of TCS, who hops on to 570S to reserve a window seat.
From 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sipcot witnesses a pageant of MTC buses that cater to employees working in the IT and ITeS sector.
According to the MTC staff, there are over 40 services plying to various destinations from Sipcot. Initially, 19B and 102 were the only services. Now, half-a-dozen services, including 570S and 102 cut services, are operated.
Many regular commuters say the number of services has increased over the years, encouraging some of the employees to switch from private to public transport.
Anitha P. is among the IT professionals who patronises these services.
“Although companies operate shuttle services till the Sipcot entrance, the vehicle starts only after it is filled to capacity. During rush hour, you have MTC buses starting from within walking distance of my office every five to 10 minutes,” says Anita.
Many commuters say MTC buses are a better option than company buses as the latter ply only once an hour. “I used to commute on the company bus as the number of services was low three years ago. Now, there are many services. I get a seat from the gate of my company. Plus, it is also economical,” says Jayasudha.