2025: Pvt bus operators in TN see 50% rise in spiritual travel

Chennai: Travel to pilgrimage hubs such as Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchendur, Velankanni, Madurai and Thanjavur via private buses from Chennai and other destinations within and outside the state saw huge growth in 2025, said private bus operators."Overall, we saw a 50% growth this year in travel to all pilgrimage destinations from Chennai. Tiruchendur and Tiruvannamalai saw the most traction. Usually, there is demand for Tiruchendur only from Chennai or Coimbatore. But this year, there was demand from Vellore, Bengaluru, and other cities. Likewise, buses from Vizag to Tiruvannamalai also saw huge demand," said all India omni bus owners association president A Anbazhagan.South-bound routes from Chennai, particularly to Madurai, Tirunelveli and Nagercoil, were among the routes with highest traffic, said redBus CEO Prakash Sangam. "Overall, journeys to temple towns such as Rameswaram, Palani and Kumbakonam account for 7% of all travel in TN," he added.More people had also opted for AC buses. "AC sleeper seat bookings grew 34% compared to last year, while AC seater bookings grew 40%," Sangam said. While state express transport corporation (SETC) officials say they see a rise in pilgrims, private buses still appear to be a more popular option for the average commuter due to reasons such as fleet size, more pick-up points within the city, and cost-effectiveness. Anbazhagan said they operate around 1,200 buses daily from Chennai to south-bound districts, while SETC's overall fleet size is 1,074, with just around 350 buses on such routes.SETC MD R Mohan said they are unable to increase boarding points within the city. "The idea behind operating from KCBT was to decongest operations within Chennai, so we can't go against a govt order.""We recently procured 20 multi-axle buses and ran services to Madurai, Tiruchendur and Tirunelveli. Our one-day TNSTC pilgrimage bus service to the Navagraha temples around Kumbakonam, launched in June 2024, also saw steady rise in bookings," he said.