'Superstar' CM Vijay takes bus ride after launching 300 new TNSTC buses in Chennai

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Vijay flagged off 300 newly procured diesel and CNG buses for the state's transport corporations at a ceremony held at the Secretariat in Chennai on Thursday, marking a major addition to the state's public transport fleet.

Soon after the flag-off, CM Vijay took a ride in one of the newly launched buses. He was also seen recording a video while sitting in the front seat, interacting with passengers during the journey.

While the new buses have been formally inducted into the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) fleet, transport authorities are yet to announce the district-wise distribution and route allocation of the vehicles.

The launch was originally scheduled for June 22 to coincide with the Chief Minister's birthday. The buses had already been moved from various parts of the state to Chennai and parked at key locations, including the Koyambedu and Kilambakkam bus terminals, ahead of the planned event. However, the launch was later rescheduled to Thursday.

Which areas will get the new buses?

Officials said the 300 buses will be deployed across various state transport corporations based on operational requirements, passenger demand and the condition of the existing fleet.

However, details on how many buses each district, division or transport corporation will receive have not yet been announced.

Commuters are now awaiting clarity on whether the new buses will be used to introduce additional services, increase trip frequency on busy routes or replace ageing vehicles currently in operation.

The new fleet was launched at a ceremony in Chennai attended by ministers, senior transport officials and representatives of state-run transport undertakings.

Following the flag-off event, Vijay surprised commuters by boarding one of the buses and travelling through the city, using the journey to interact directly with passengers.