SETC luxury buses to ease long-distance rides

Corporation floats tender to purchase 20 AC multi-axle buses, to offer enhanced comfort for a slightly higher fare

- B ANBUSELVAN @Chennai

LONG-DISTANCE travellers bound for destinations like Nagercoil or Tirunelveli within the state, or cities such as Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram in neighbouring states, will soon be able to travel with an enhanced comfort at an affordable price in government-run buses from brands like Volvo, Benz, and Eicher.

For the first time, the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) is set to launch multi-axle luxury buses for public transportation. Until now, such high-end buses were predominantly operated by private omni bus services in Tamil Nadu.

Taking a cue from neighbouring states — where Karnataka offers "Airavat Club Class" and Andhra Pradesh runs Volvo services under names like "Amaravathi", "Garuda", and "Garuda Plus" — Tamil Nadu is preparing to roll out a similar premium service.