Chennai Nov 9 (PTI) The Metropolitan Transport Corporation has collected in excess of Rs 5.50 lakh as fine from over 4000 commuters travelling without tickets or necessary concession passes, ever since bus services in the city were resumed in September.

"The MTC has collected Rs 5,52,050 from 1,522 commuters in September and another 3,122 persons in October," an official release said here on Monday.

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"Travelling without a valid ticket or pass in the MTC bus is an offence under the Motor Vehicles Act. It causes financial losses to the MTC," the release added.

The corporation warned of severe action against those travelling without ticket or concession pass.

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After halting the services for nearly five months from March 24 due to the enforcement of COVID-19 lockdown, the MTC resumed its services from September following the relaxation of lockdown rules, operating about 2,400 buses.

According to official data, 12 lakh people travel by MTC buses daily on an average since resumption of services and the numbers are likely to swell during this Deepavali season.

"MTC is operating additional buses while strictly adhering to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to meet the extra rush," an official said without divulging details.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)