Launched by sports and youth minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, the buses also feature a foldable ramp at the entrance for passengers who use wheelchairs. There's a button for these ramps too near the door. Passengers can alight in under three minutes, Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) said.
There's also a designated space for differently abled passengers. MTC has instructed bus crew to ensure that wheelchairs are securely strapped to the provided handles, otherwise passengers could lose their balance during sudden brakes.
And, apart from automatic gear, the buses also have automatic doors, which means no footboard travelling. MTC employees have been instructed to keep these doors closed, even if there are two subsequent stops nearby.
MTC will operate these new buses on key routes in the city, including 70 (Tambaram-Avadi), 109 (Broadway-Kovalam), and 101 (Thiruvottiyur-Poonamallee). They had initially planned to avoid low-floor buses on routes with vehicular subways or narrow roads. But, a trial run will be conducted on select routes before monsoon begins and subways get inundated, according to MTC officials. The kneeling buses are likely to operated as deluxe services, according to officials. They'll charge higher than ordinary services and women will not be able travel for free on these new buses.
In addition to these low-floor, rear-engined buses, Udhayanidhi flagged off 30 regular BS-VI-compliant buses and 12 refurbished ones. These vehicles together will replace 100 buses in MTC's aging fleet.
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