Chennai, the southern metropolitan of India is an interesting city. I shifted to Chennai back in January this year due to a job offer. Since then, It's been a roller-coaster ride. Well, I keep my "being in Chennai" experience for some other day.

Here, in this post, I am going to give some tips on a bus travel to Pondicherry from Chennai. This post is useful for people who are new to Chennai and want to go to Pondicherry for a quick weekend trip.


First, some quick snippets:

• Chennai to Pondicherry distance is around 160 kms. (ECR route)

• There are no train or flight routes.

• Bus and private taxies are the popularized transportation mediums.

• Buses are preferred over taxies by Chennaites. 

How to reach Pondicherry from Chennai by bus?

You could either book a bus from a private travelling company or could utilize the TNSTC (Tamil Nadu State Transportation Corporation) bus service. Majority of commuters prefer TNSTC bus services.

There are two ways to get a bus:


Through online booking



If you are planning your trip in advance and want a stress-free bus travel, book your tickets online. Redbus and Make my trip are the maximum used portals for bus bookings. There are others as well. But, these two websites, as far as I know, are the best.

Cost: Anywhere in between 250-500rs (Per person): AC and NON AC

Redbus

Make My Trip


If you are low on budget or do not want to spend much on traveling, book your tickets online through TNSTC (Tamil Nadu State Transportation Corporation) website. This is a great initiative by Tamil Nade Transport corporation.



Cost: 190rs (Per person) :AC, 140rs (Per person) : Non AC

TNSTC (Please note that you have to register with the website first in order to book tickets online. Registration is free and server remains up most of the times.)

Through bus stand:



You have to reach CMBT (Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus). You can get a bus from Guindy bus stand or could take an auto if you are in some other part of the city to CMBT. At CMBT, you can look for bus route 555 (AC) and get a bus directly from the bus stand. These buses start running from morning 6am till 10p.m after every one hour. So, if your trip is planned in a spur of moment, consider this option.

Safety Tips:

1. Do take printout of your e-ticket or hold back the confirmation SMS of your booking in your phone. This is extremely important if you did an online ticket booking.

2. Do not try to deport alcohol bottles on your way back to Chennai (Why would you want to do it: Duty free alcohol, so you get it very cheap in pondicherry). Your bus will be thoroughly checked by policemen in Pondicherry and if you are caught with even a single bottle, you may have to face circumstances (forfeiting of the bottles/ Penalties/ awful questions if you are with your girlfriend or boyfriend/ insane bribe amounts). And if you do not know Tamil, you are gone. So, keep it safe and best of luck if you still want to do it. 


I hope these tips would help you in outlining a hassle free travel from Chennai to Pondicherry.