With a series of public holidays coinciding with school vacations after an extended period, intercity buses and trains to various destinations, including tourist spots and pilgrimage sites within and outside the state, are witnessing full-capacity bookings in recent days. This trend is expected to continue in the coming days, according to travel operators and officials.
Sources report that bus and train tickets from cities like Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Coimbatore, and Madurai to Chennai, even at regular fares, are completely sold out for the next few days. Sleeper class and Third AC class tickets for trains like Kanniyakumari and Pandian Express are also fully booked in both directions.
In the case of the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) buses, approximately 90% of the services have already reached full capacity for the upcoming days. An official mentioned that in a few sections, they have had to operate additional special buses to accommodate the surge in demand. Moreover, all buses bound for Tirupati, operated by APSRTC and TNSTC, have been running at maximum capacity since Thursday.
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This is attributed to the auspiciousness of Saturdays during the Tamil month of Purattasi for prayers at the Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati. A TNSTC official noted that all buses operated from Madhavaram have been crowded during this period.
K. Sasikumar, a travel agent based in Egmore, shared, “After several months, public holidays and school vacations coincided, resulting in an unprecedented demand for tickets. For instance, a return ticket from Kodaikanal to Chennai on Sunday and Monday night costs anywhere between Rs 3000 and Rs 3500.”
According to private ticketing platforms, AC sleeper omni bus tickets are priced between Rs 3,500 and Rs 4,500, while non-AC sleeper tickets cost around Rs 2,300. Travelers have also reported longer waiting times at restaurants due to the increased crowds, with some places even running out of food.
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