Chennai MTC Bus Skips Stop, Wheelchair User Left Waiting Over an Hour at Guindy
What should’ve been a routine 30-minute ride turned into a two-hour ordeal for Sathish Kumar, a daily commuter who uses a wheelchair and depends on Chennai’s MTC-operated low-floor bus service for accessible travel.
His experience, shared through a tweet on Sunday afternoon, has quietly sparked conversation around route discipline and the inconsistency of inclusive public transport services in the city.
Also Read: How to Raise an MTC Bus Chennai Complaint: A Step-by-Step Guide
Sathish had reached Guindy Railway Station around 7:15 p.m. after traveling from Kotturpuram, expecting to catch a 51A Low Floor Bus heading to Tambaram. It’s a route he knows well — 51A, 51AX, V51, and V51X are all part of the regular fleet that passes through Guindy. But that evening, none of them came.
“I was waiting from 7:15 p.m. till 8:30 p.m. at Guindy railway station, not even a single Low Floor Bus came,” he wrote in his post. “More than 15 low floor buses have been allotted in these routes, and not even one showed up. Not even on the app.”
The only bus that did appear — a 51A that started from T. Nagar at 8:15 p.m. — didn’t take the expected route. Instead of coming through Guindy, it turned off at Raj Bhavan and went straight to Velachery, bypassing the station entirely.
For most passengers, it may have been a minor rerouting to avoid traffic. But for Sathish, it meant the difference between a short commute and an exhausting detour.
Without any information on the next accessible bus, Sathish had to take a long route via West Tambaram, then catch another bus from East Tambaram to reach his home in Gowrivakkam.
All told, the unexpected route change added over two hours to his journey.
“The small mistake made by a driver & conductor crew to choose a route without traffic has made me spend additional two hours to reach my home only because I am a wheelchair user,” he wrote.
His tweet concluded with a pointed question:
“Who is responsible for this? The Driver & Conductor, the MTC Chennai Management team, or myself as a wheelchair user?”
He also emphasized the need for accessible transport all day, not just at select times or limited routes.
Also Read: MTC 2000 Pass: Now Ride Unlimited on All Buses, Including AC Services Across Chennai
While Sathish Kumar isn’t a public figure, his post is now being noticed by voices in the transportation space — especially in light of growing discussions around urban mobility and inclusive transit planning.
Though MTC has responded by taking cognizance of the matter, this incident offers a valuable opportunity for the corporation and other stakeholders to reflect, recalibrate, and reaffirm their commitment to accessible travel for all as Chennai’s bus system continues to evolve.
UPDATE: MTC Takes Cognizance: Meeting with Disability Rights Alliance
On April 1, 2025, Prabhushankar T. Gunalan, IAS, Managing Director of MTC Chennai, chaired a meeting with the Disability Rights Alliance to address concerns about the accessibility of low-floor buses for differently-abled passengers.
The meeting focused on gathering feedback and suggestions to improve the infrastructure, accessibility features, and overall inclusivity of the public transport system.
Senior MTC officials, including the Joint Managing Director, were also present, underscoring the corporation’s commitment to ensuring that public transport services cater effectively to the needs of all commuters, particularly those with disabilities.
Yesterday (01.04.2025), the Managing Director of MTC Chennai, Dr.@prabhusean7, IAS, held a meeting with the Disability Rights Alliance to address concerns and suggestions for making low-floor buses more accessible and user-friendly for differently-abled passengers. The… pic.twitter.com/ELGh9R3ohY
— MTC Chennai (@MtcChennai) April 2, 2025
