Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation

Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation Ltd. - (TNSTC) is a government owned public transport bus operator in Tamil Nadu, India. It operates Intercity bus services to cities within Tamil Nadu, and from Tamil Nadu to its neighbouring states. It also operates town busses from major cities and towns of Tamil Nadu to its neighbourhoods, with the exception of Chennai, where the public bus service is operated by MTC, a subsidiary of TNSTC. It is the largest bus operator in the world with over 20258 buses and 17 million daily ridership.

Services
Cd by the Government of Tamil Nadu. TNSTC has started online booking facilities to book bus tickets between major cities served by TNSTC. It caters to all the districts within Tamil Nadu and also operates services to neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and union territory of Puducherry. Until 1997, the transport corporation was divided into 21 divisions which were later merged to form 8 divisions. TNSTC along with its subsidiaries, owns 321 depots and five workshops with a combined fleet strength of 21,678 buses. TNSTC also offers contract and tourist services. Every bus owned by the corporation displays a portrait of Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar along with a two-line verse from Thirukkural inside the bus.

History
The planning commission, in consultation with this ministry, has advised the state government to set up a road transport corporation under the Transport Corporations Act and the matter is under the consideration of the state government. Operation of nationalized transport services through a corporation is favoured so as to achieve railroad coordination, and to ensure operation on business lines. The general policy of the government is to establish corporations and the planning commission have advised that if the state governments want to nationalise the road services, they should form corporations and they should not be run as far as possible through government departments. It has also been suggested by the planning commission that the railways should participate or contribute to the state governments for running all the nationalised road services only when they decide to set up a corporation.

All the road transport corporations named after a popular or historical figure were changed to the current names after caste violence erupted between the caste groups of Devendrakula Velalars and Maravars in Virudhunagar district (then Kamarajar district), after the formation of Veeran Sundaralingam Transport Corporation (VSTC) by the bifurcation of Pandiyan Roadways Corporation (PRC). The Maravars opposed the naming of the new corporation on Veeran Sundaralingam, who is supposedly believed from the Devendrakula Velalar community.

Services

 * Economy Service: It is a non-AC bus service with 3+2 non-reclining seater seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland or Tata chassis with an old green-cream livery or a new blue-grey livery.
 * Superfast Service (SFS): It is a non-AC bus service with 3+2 non-reclining seater seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland or Tata chassis with select few stops and a new blue-grey livery.
 * Superfast Service AC (SFS AC): It is an AC bus service with 3+2 non-reclining seater seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland or Tata chassis with select few stops and a new dark blue livery.
 * Point-to-Point Service (PP): It is a non-AC bus service with 3+2 non-reclining seater seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland or Tata chassis with no stops in between and a new blue-grey livery.
 * Point-to-Point AC (PP AC): It is an AC bus service with 3+2 non-reclining seater seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland or Tata chassis with no stops in between and a new dark blue livery.
 * Ordinary Pink City or Pink Local Service: It is a non-AC bus service with 2+2 bench type non-reclining seater seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland or Tata chassis with a brown-cream livery with front and back sides in pink. Female passengers can travel for free on these buses.
 * Ordinary City or Local Service: It is a non-AC bus service with 2+2 bench type non-reclining seater seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland or Tata chassis with a brown-cream livery.
 * Mini Bus Service: It is a non-AC mini bus service with 2+2 bench type non-reclining seater seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland chassis with a grey livery. It was launched to connect remote places, suburbs and also act as a feeder service.
 * Deluxe City Service: It is a non-AC bus service with 2+2 non-reclining seater seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland or Tata chassis with lesser stops and a red livery.
 * Deluxe City AC Service: It is an AC bus service with 2+2 non-reclining seater seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland or Tata chassis with lesser stops and a new red-grey livery.
 * Ultra Deluxe: It is a non-AC bus service with 2+2 reclining seater seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland chassis with a white(new) or Gr(old) livery.
 * Classic: It is a non-AC bus service with 2+2 reclining seater seats and a toilet facility built on single-axle Ashok Leyland chassis with a green livery.
 * Non-AC Sleeper: It is a non-AC bus service with 2+1 lower and upper berth sleeper seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland chassis with a white livery.
 * Non-AC Steater Cum Sleeper: It is a non-AC bus service with 2+1 reclining seater seats and 2+1 upper berth sleeper seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland chassis with a white livery.
 * AC Seater: It is an AC bus service with 2+2 reclining seater seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland chassis with a white or green livery.
 * AC Sleeper: It is an AC bus service with 2+1 lower and upper berth sleeper seats built on single-axle Ashok Leyland or MG Leera chassis with a white livery.
 * AC Seater cum Sleeper: It is an AC bus service with 2+1 reclining seater seats and 2+1 upper berth sleeper seats built on single-axle MG Leera chassis with a white livery.



Other ventures
In 1984, Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation Limited established the Institute of Road and Transport Technology in Erode. In 2013, Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation Limited established Amma Kudineer (Amma packaged drinking water) which is involved in the production and packaging of mineral water in one-litre plastic bottles, and selling them in long-distance running state-owned buses and in bus stations. The price has been fixed at ₹10 per bottle, and the production plant is set up in Gummidipoondi in Thiruvallur district. This venture is closed