The mini bus initiative of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin received an overwhelming response from the public, benefitting nearly one crore passengers, the State government said on Saturday.

About one crore people residing in 90,000 remote villages lacking connectivity in the past benefited from the mini bus services operated in 3,103 routes. Chief Minister Stalin had flagged off the scheme in Thanjavur on June 16.

Former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had nationalised bus transport and established state transport corporations for the benefit of the people, an official release here said.

The mini bus service was introduced in 1997 to provide bus facilities for the people of various hamlets lacking such facilities. Following a public hearing on July 22, 2024, based on the Madras High Court judgment in the case related to the mini bus, the government came out with a comprehensive mini bus scheme and announced it on January 23 this year.

After necessary amendments to the scheme, a notification was issued on April 28. Accordingly, the services were operated for a distance of 25 km, and arrangements were made to operate the mini buses for an additional one km, the release added.

Published on June 21, 2025