Chennai bus route experts?

[ramarama]

As I contemplate another big series of haggling rounds with auto drivers in the coming season, I thought I should really figure out the bus network as an alternative.

So Chennai-vasis/experts, would you be so kind as to tell me (and perhaps others would benefit as well) what are the most straightforward bus routes to connect these "hubs" (especially from 1 and 2 connecting to 3)

1. Music Academy/Narada Gana Sabha (perhaps some stop on R K Salai or TTK Road)

2. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan/Sastri Hall/Raga Sudha/Mylapore Fine Arts/ArKay Convention centre/Parthasarathi Swami Sabha (perhops Luz Corner)

3. Some central part of TNagar (Krishna Gana Sabha, Tyaga Brahma Gana Sabha, Indian Fine Arts, Mudhra, Nungambakkam Cultural Academy) - perhaps a couple of different bus stops might cover all of these sabhas (and more?)

Also, is there a bus from the Kalakshetra area to anywhere in Mylapore?

Would help to know the exact location of the bus stops most convenient to each of these hubs. And approximately when do bus services terminate in Chennai? Can one catch the mangalam of the last concert in a T Nagar sabha and still make it back home to a Mylapore home or hotel by bus? Most "last concert"s I think end between 9:30 and 10:00 p.m.?

Any other public transport tips (e.g. train rides from ThiruMylai station) would be greatly appreciated. Or auto haggling trips - does saying "anna" help? is "mama" better? should one invoke God as a threat? which one? Muruga? Krishna?

Would this work? "Anna, Muruga will never forgive you for ripping me off like this." or "mama, krishna's blessings for all your family if you bring that down to Rs 40"

[varsha]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_MT ... bus_routes
for a start .
--pls tell us if you enjoy walking distances of 500metres to a km ( just to know if you are too old to walk ) . simplifies many things
--you start and end points for the day - meaning place of stay .
-- treat raga sudha hall , arkays , luz corner , mylapore fine arts , sivagami petachi auditorium all as one-within 500 mtrs / 1 km of each other.
-- draw your plan for the day radially from this zone . kalakshetra is farthest and most inconvenient in the sense that you have to walk long distances from bus stops too
-- so now you have to connect yourself from this hub in luz to t nagar through bus routes.
chennai has share taxis these days . once you are sure of the directions and locations you can hop on or off for ten bucks . there is no guarantee of a pleasant ride . you may be even surprised as to why auto makers from all over the world come to chennai to manufacture . if the share cab breaks into pieces while riding make sure a sharp end is not pointed towards you .
......

and get out of the auditorium , quick , if the next concert is aruna sairams - unless you plan to stay and listen .
ages ago one bhatha kumbara trampled his own son under the spell of such songs .
these days you may get killed under the feet of frail paatis creating a stampede to get in before the abhang even starts .

[fduddy]

ramarama
Why take the trouble pub hopping (oops - sorry sabha hopping). Go to the Sankara Hall, get some nice music of the grand masters, take a nice book and a cup of chai and read at home with the music in the background. I am sure you would have seen enough gemini circus in your younger days, why still .....

[ramarama]

thanks varsha! yes 1 km is no issue. specific bus route numbers and bus stop locations would be useful. tough to tell that from the linked site.

and fduddy: yes of course but then why even bother making the trek to chennai?

and last bus times anyone?

[ramamantra]

Just go to Chennai and check it out for yourself. Why wld you need so much of preparation ahead unless you are not an Indian and have never lived there at all.? Ppl just go there and figure it out. They do it all the time. Attending concerts are fun and for relaxation. No need to force in an "American" preparedness for everything. Try to merge into the laidback culture.

[VK RAMAN]

ramamantra - why do you bring "American" preparedness in a sarcastic way? In a city with 15 million or so population with cheats and robbers waiting to rob strangers, even if it is auto, taxi or public/private bus, it is good to get directions and best way to reach destination safely. Better be safe than sorry!

[Rajani]

Ramarama - I think it is a wonderful idea to learn about the bus routes of Chennai - bus rides are many times more pleasant than auto rides and negotiations with auto drivers.

My 2 cs :
Bus routes 29C and many other 29-series will take you from Mylapore Tank or Luz to Music Academy. The Academy stop is the same as Chola Sheraton and is just opposite MA.

The TTK road where Narada Gana Sabha is located is very poorly connected through buses. You can walk from the same MA/Chola bus stop. Walking from the Alwarpet Anjaneyar Koil bus stop too is not difficult. NGS is almost right in between these two.

Alwarpet Anjaneyar Koil is also right next to Sivakami Pethachi Auditorium.

There are buses 12, 12B and 45B which will take you from Luz to Alwarpet Anjaneyar Koil. These buses do not touch Mylapore.

Many buses cover the Thriuvanmiyur-Tiruvottriyur(or Manali, Ennore) route. These are 1-series (routes 1, A1, 1A etc) and they all go through Mylapore. So you could take an Auto from Kalakshetra to Tiruvanmiyur terminus and then go by bus from there. Vice versa to reach Kalakshetra.

Anna and Mama won't work with Auto drivers. "Sir" ("saar") may get you somewhere, sometimes. Nothing makes them pleasant except agreeing to their rates. Please negotiate exact amount and exact drop off point before stepping in, or else the ride with leave you exhausted with harangues.

[LovingCM]

You may want to take a look at these websites for maps and bus routes.
Have a Happy Season!
Cheers...
http://www.kutcheris.com/venues.php
http://www.mtcbus.org/

[Sam Swaminathan]

In the unfortunate circumstance you need to take an auto, here is a tip to make the driver agree to your choice of place....Let us say you are near Mylapore tank and you want to go to Kalakshethra. Hail the auto and ask the driver " ennappa, Alwarpet poganum, variya?" The invariable answer from the auto driver will be " illa sir, naan adayar poren". Jump into the auto and tell him to go to Adayar! Bingo!

[fduddy]

I think there is a bit of an overreaction here to say that the autos fleece you. Common guys, be a little sensible.
Most of the autos are run by policemen/politicians and the drivers are bound to pay a certain fixed rental irrespective of the passenger load.
The petrol prices have increased but the Government is not willing to change the base price for the meters. How will they manage? they are not running a charity to drive you around at a loss that they incur.
Taxi and auto fares are perhaps the least in India even after you factor the so called fleecing by the autos / taxi drivers. Last year in J'burg for a distance of 8 kms from the airport to the hotel, I paid close to INR 1500 equivalent SA rands (ofcourse it was a Mercedes, a normal cab would have been INR 1000 equivalent). In India it will be just about INR 250 for the same distance. The same thing with Australia, Europe or Singapore, HK, US.
Most of you guys are coming from the US / other places and are inquiring on how to manage. Be decent with the autos and pay a fare that they claim with a bit of negotiation (if u want). They are not as bad a sthey are portrayed to be. All depends on how you deal with them. It is not very high that you cant afford to pay from dollar salaries or indian salaries (Indian salaries are pretty good or even better these days), perhaps the reason the retail FDI is being opposed as expats (jobless Europeans and Americans) will come into India and compete with indians.
alternatively use the call taxis - absolutely hastle free.
Stop cribbing and take the life as it is in India. It is an experience to cherish !!

[kunthalavarali]

I fully agree with you fduddy. I always find it amusing to see people haggle over the auto charges (also the porters at the rail stations) for few rupees while they would not mind spending freely on many other things.
btw, ramarama, you may be interested in the site "http://busroutes.in/chennai/"

[ramamantra]

No Indian (in his right senses) wld ever start a thread to know local bus routes. It is so American. Whats wrong in pointing it out?

Btw, Mr Raman: Don't cheats and robbers exist in New York or elsewhere? From the mugging gangs to people in ties and suit walking all around Wall Street, eh? Cheating the whole world of its money

Ramarama: You don't need to travel the old way ie by buses. You cld call up Fast track/call taxis. Charges are reasonable and no haggling.

[fduddy]

Btw, Mr Raman: Don't cheats and robbers exist in New York or elsewhere? From the mugging gangs to people in ties and suit walking all around Wall Street, eh? Cheating the whole world of its money

R.

They are the sophisticated/so called cultured robbers/crooks

[VK RAMAN]

ramamantra - thanks for clarifying.

[ramarama]

Thanks a ton, Rajani! Very useful indeed. And thanks, kunthalavarali, lovingcm for the website links. And Sam for the auto negotiation tip Perhaps even better to just go wherever the auto is going, and then pick the sabha based on where he is going - heh!

And of course, thanks, fduddy, ramamantra for the various alternative lifestyle advice - sankara hall, don't plan, etc. - and for the various inferences about what Indians would do versus Americans. Very insightful and useful too But there is nothing American at all about planning ahead - and nothing to be proud of in not planning ahead unless you think "jugaad" is a particularly Indian innovation worth converting into a proud national way of life. We've repeatedly embarrassed ourselves with the Commonwealth games, the Eden gardens World cup fiasco, etc. Various infrastructure projects remain unfinished or delayed all over our land precisely because of our "laidback culture." And that is the one great thing about the Chennai season - that things are indeed planned so well, with concerts generally starting (and ending) exactly on time at most sabhas. Perhaps the sabha secretaries are all "Americans?". And considering that artistes are fighting traffic and sometimes performing at two different sabhas back to back even, it is very commendable. I've seen violinists rushing out at the end of the concert into a waiting auto to get to the next concert. Would be nice if the audience also would plan a bit, so they arrive on time so they didn't disturb other patrons.

In most Mumbai concerts, especially of Hindustani music, my "American plan" consists of taking a book along, and to read while waiting, as the concerts rarely start on time.

There are autos in Mumbai too btw, who charge by the meter and when the basic charge used to be rs 9, they would invariably return a rupee to the Rs 10 note paying passenger. And most of the cabbies too just charge by the meter. Yes, it is a cultural matter, perhaps - but perhaps the contrast shouldn't be to the US. I'm sure there are many from towns all over India who save a lot of money, and their holiday accumulation, for this annual music pilgrimage to Chennai. Hope this bus route info will help them too to get around and see a few more concerts on their savings.

And in Chennai, I've had lots of experience with Fast track taxis just not being available (or no one picking up) or not coming on time. And sometimes, there are just no autos around at all - it is particularly bad outside Kalakshetra at night I think. So it's great to have a back-up plan with bus routes. And whom better to ask than the huge number of sabha-hopping Chennai rasikas on this forum?

Sorry if even just asking a simple question gets some people all riled up - I have some advice too for them - attend some concerts "for fun and for relaxation."

Your fellow Indian,

ramarama

[rajumds]

Chennai bus routes are a bit confusing. M18 is different from 18M and many buses have both a prefix and suffix and then there are cut services. But it is better know the pattern. 18 series buses ply mostly through Mount Road from High Court to Guindy and beyond. 70 series ply between Tambaram and Ambattur and beyond. So find out the series which will connect the two places you would like to travel and inquire with the conductor before you board. Please remember in Chennai buses it is your responsibility to get the tickets and arguments like the conductor didn't come near me to issue the ticket will not cut ice, if the checker catches you.

Regarding autos, it is the way it is in Chennai. Once you are mentally ready to pay a higher fare (compared to Mumbai or other cities) you are fine. Probably Mumbaikars save on auto fare to pay the rent, whereas Chennaites pay lesser rent to pay the autos.

[Nick H]

Chennai auto drivers are now charging almost on a par with call taxis. Given the difference in capital cost and fuel consumption, not to mention comfort, this is absolutely unjustifiable --- and probably part of the reason why it has now become difficult to get a call taxi, despite the sudden increase in the number of "something-Track" companies. If Chennai had cabs that could be hailed on the street, the autos would probably disappear and be forced to regret their alienation of their customers. Yes, both autos and call taxis have many a politician among their owners, so I am sure it is in their interest not to let this happen.

Share autos, if you are travelling on one their routes, may not offer comfort (or safety!) but they do offer a very cheap method of getting from a to b.

It's a great shame, because autos are still the easiest way of doing that adhoc trip that is just too far to walk.

I'm sure ramarama has had the sabha locations etched on his brain since birth. For those not so familiar with Chennai, let me post a reminder of Bharath's excellent Google Maps overlay: Sabha Locations

[ramamantra]

Probably Mumbaikars save on auto fare to pay the rent, whereas Chennaites pay lesser rent to pay the autos.

That's a good one.

[pattu]

If you can hire an helicopter for the entire season, that will be much cheaper than the auto fares. You can travel alone or with a couple of your friends and also park the chopper on the terrace of every auditorium. Travelling by air over Chennai is much less crowded than travelling by the city's roads. Catch hold of some influential fellow like Sriram.V or Pappu Venugopal and things will get going for you.

[rajeshnat]

RamaRama
Rajani has somewhat precisely answered to your question. I will go little more on her lines.

Mylapore Begin:
-----------------
1. Music Academy/Narada Gana Sabha --> Stop is MusicAcademy Itself or NewWoodlands, you can walk from those stops to MA ,NGS and you will have atleast one more place soon during the week of 20th to 26th , Maris Mela in Hotel Maris

2. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,RK Swamy's Hall --> Mylapore Tank or next stop of Luz when you take a bus towards Santhome

3. Sastri Hall/Raga Sudha/ArKay Convention centre --> Luz

4. MFAC --> Isabella hospital or at times it is still OK to walk from NewWoodlands or Luz. Remember this road is one way

5.Parthasarathi Swami Sabha --> Jammmi building (next stop to Luz)if you take a bus that goes in Royapettah High Road , you can also walk from LUz

6. Brahma Gana Sabha --> Alwarpet Signal or you can walk from New Woodlands Bus Stop too

7. TattavalOKa --> Alwarpet Signal but you have to walk in eldams road

8. Swamy's Hall(Shanmughapriya) --> Mandaveli Market

The above points cover Mylapore Sabhas.

Mylapore End to Mambalam Begin
-----------------------------------
Let us get into T Nagar Sabha

1. Krishna Gana Sabha --> Panagal Park .

2.Tyaga Brahma Gana Sabha(Vanimahal) and Mudhra --> Bazulla Road , one is one side of the Bazullah and the other is the other side

3.Bharath Kalachar,Indian Fine Arts, Nungambakkam Cultural Academy --> You can take Valluvarkottam Bus stop or Vidhyodhya .

4. Kalarasana --> Gemini

The key is if you want to cover within Mylapore only -->you should take 12B,12 or 29C/29J or 29R these are the frequent buses from mylapore

29C/29J/29R --> touches Mandeveli Market --> Mylapore Tank --> Jammi Bldg --> Hotel New Woodlands --> Music Academy --> gemini -->Sterling Road --> Chetput (dont forget the kalakruthi sabha there, no hassles there , no one would come only you and vidwan/vidushi)

12B is one that cuts thru both Mylapore and partial T Nagar bastion
12B touches Santhome --> Luz --> Alwarpet --> Eldams Road --> PondyBazar --> Panagal Park --> Kodambakkam Bridge --> Liberty(you have concerts even in Meenakshi College, most times you get lot of sitasita there, I dont know if you are really ramA or rAmA here, your id does not say that)

How to reach valluvarkottam /Vidyodhya??
----------------------------------------------
It is bit tricky, I suggest take 29C to sterling road and take second bus to go to valluvarkottam so that you can enjoy Bharatkalachar,Indian Fine Arts and NCA

How to go back from NCA/IFA/BharathKalachar/VaniMahal to Mylapore:?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
O I forgot this before,you dont have to go back to sterling road as it is one way, if you are in IFA walk upto gemini and take 29C.
If you are in NCA,BK walk upto Bazullah road and take 12 B
If you are out of Vanimahal walk upto TNagar Power House and take 12B

The key here is not to wait for one single bus , hop two or three buses and keep places like Sterling Road, ValluvarKottam , Luz etc as hop points.

On a serious note:
--------------------
On a very serious note , it is worth to go to bit far off places like pozhichalur, Tambaram, Pammal, nanganallur, Annanagar , kalakruthi(chetput) etc because unlike sabhas in mylai and Tnagar they hold full evening concerts starting at say 6 and go upto 9pm. I swear they are worth gold, they are not spoilt as evening 1 and evening 2 slots(4:30 and 7pm), ofcourse there are exceptions. Artists can atleast exercise lot of time liberty.

Say Yes to bus hopping business and No to sabha hopping :@ .
Whether you are a traveller or a tourist --> sit at one place <-- ,it reallly does not matter if you are the avatAr of rAmA or SitA.

Hope it helps

[ramarama]

rAjeshnat: nanri, dhanyavad, merci beaucoup, xie xie, terima kasih! A million thanks for that very educational note on the bus routes! This post of yours should be a sticky really for the discussion forum, or archived somewhere, like Bharath's map that Nick referred to. And yes, thanks for the tip/edict on avoiding sabha hopping and exploring the lesser known sabhas - heh! it is just so tempting though to sabha hop (just because it is possible). And often for me, a concert ends with the RTP or the tani, and if it's possible to dash over to some other sabha, I would rather catch the varnam of another concert than sit through the tukkadas of the first. And then, there is also the canteen hopping that is a critical part of the margazhi maasam experience.

Interesting bit on the kalakruthi sabha, and am not sure what you meant - but if it meant a very sparse audience - yes, it's been embarrassing at times, to be the only audience member for a lesser known artiste at a lesser known sabha. The artistes sit in the front row, expectantly turning back every once in a while, hoping someone else will join in - and at some point, the organizer gives up and indicates that 20 minutes is about how long they can wait to start. and then however loudly you applaud the first piece, it just seems to sound very hollow and unenthusiastic.

rAmarAma

[PUNARVASU]

I think, with print out of rajeshnat's and Rajani's posts, one is equipped well to bus/sabha hopping in chennai during the 'SEASON'. How I wish I could use them! Good job rn and rajani.

[Nick H]

Chetput (dont forget the kalakruthi sabha there, no hassles there , no one would come only you and vidwan/vidushi)

What a sad note, and how dedicated these people must be to carry on. Have to admit, though, that it is one I have never heard of. Also, that I try to avoid the complex and congested roads between OMR and Airport road, or going as far afield as Tambaram (Do I have to take my passport?)

[VK RAMAN]

Rajeshnat - very good job. This will help many rasikas to get around various sabhas.

[arasi]

Interesting to read this bus routes guide thread and note that most posters have Ra as the starting letters of their names!

Oh, and the starter of the thread ramarama, the 'unruffled poise' award goes to you. Enjoy your season!
Rajani and Rajesh, to you both, hurray for the most relevant posts! With Bharath's map and the input by you two, if only I master the art of how to cross the traffic-snarled streets, I'm all for a bus!

[Rajani]

Thanks arasi,punarvasu and others.

I am all for autodrivers and all other service providers getting a fair deal. I only object to arbitrary demands. Sometimes within the space of 5 min you can hear a really wide range of amounts demanded to the same destination - leaves me totally bemused.

[vasanthakokilam]

>Sorry if even just asking a simple question gets some people all riled up

Yeah, I do not understand that at all. Only those who do not plan need to be ridiculed

I think you got great answers from many people. I know which thread to go to when I need the same info. Good luck with your trip and have great fun and relaxation.

[rajeshnat]

I have added 3 more lines today in the section How to go back from NCA/IFA/BharathKalachar to Mylapore:??, which I missed yesterday

[narayan]

As I contemplate another big series of haggling rounds with auto drivers in the coming season, I thought I should really figure out the bus network as an alternative.

If you are really a beginner on the bus network, a suggestion is to stick to 29 C and 12 B. They are useful to know and most importantly, they are frequent. Figure out the one ways that these routes use (e.g. at Luz) and you're set for at least a little bit of hopping. With some expertise, you can move to the prefixed routes and the cut routes and changing buses and advanced matters.

[rajeshnat]

If you are really a beginner on the bus network, a suggestion is to stick to 29 C and 12 B. They are useful to know and most importantly, they are frequent. Figure out the one ways that these routes use (e.g. at Luz) and you're set for at least a little bit of hopping. With some expertise, you can move to the prefixed routes and the cut routes and changing buses and advanced matters.

29C and 12B are indeed the most frequent buses as of today/and also for the last 15 years or so. YOu are right on that .If year on year people acclimitizing with only these routes ,and not going out of comfort zones has its own set of new worries . Hopping buses atleast twice is not a big pain as such. In Bombay we always do that right , go from Bhandup/KanjurmArg to kurla in Central line and then head to Chembur in Harbour line for a concert in chembur sabhA right , instead of getting acclimitizied with say Mulund Sabha(I think you know that better than me )

[PUNARVASU]

Talking bout 29c brings in nostalgia. I was such a regular in the route, the conductors used to stop the bus in between stops if they see me coming. Those were the days , when as college students, we used to have 'bus days' . There was a conductor who used to resemble the actor Nagesh and we all used to call him Nagesh conductor. The bus staff were very nice and polite.

[vainika]

"Anna, Muruga will never forgive you for ripping me off like this." or "mama, krishna's blessings for all your family if you bring that down to Rs 40"

Perhaps, in this climate, 'Amma' would work. Though I'm given to understand she has fled to more salubrious climes herself, "working from home", and leaving the Chennai season behind. This may just free up some of the traffic around the Music Academy area.

[rbharath]

I'm sure ramarama has had the sabha locations etched on his brain since birth. For those not so familiar with Chennai, let me post a reminder of Bharath's excellent Google Maps overlay: Sabha Locations

i have recently added some more places to this map.

about routes, it should be possible to make a list, if only one had the time to do it.

[Nick H]

Thank you for this very valuable resource