Chennai: For core city residents travelling 10km-20km round-trip, cheap tickets do not ensure savings, as 5km auto feeders can exceed MTC fares by 250% to 900%.TOI analysed costs on five city routes: Anna Nagar–T Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur–Thoraipakkam, T Nagar–Velachery, Porur–Vadapalani and Velachery–Taramani.For those living within 5km of a bus stop or railway station, one-end costs range from ₹7,920/year by shareauto to ₹52,800/year by private auto. If commuters need an auto or bike to reach the station and another after getting down, the costs double. At five to 10km radius, yearly feeder costs rise to ₹15,840-₹95,040.The contrast is clearest on Beach–Guindy and Beach–Velachery routes, where annual EMU travel costs ₹5,280. An auto feeder costs ₹31,680, six times that fare at one end, while a shareauto costs ₹7,920, equalling 150% of the train fare.Metro can be quicker, but costs remain tricky: one auto feeder costs ₹31,680 annually, almost twice the ₹16,896 fare on each route analysed.Against roughly 2.7 crore daily trips, Chennai has 146 MTC small buses, including 22 metro feeders, alongside an estimated 20,000 bike taxis and 1.3 lakh autos.“Chennai should adopt a triple five bus system, where people can walk to a bus stop within five minutes,” said Shreya Gadepalli, former Institute for Transportation and Development Policy director. “Wait no more than five minutes for a bus, and reach their destination with minimal delay,” she said.
