Chennai (Madras) Transportation

I have flown many times between KL and Madras.. usually on the way over to somewhere or other.. but occasionally have spent a day here.
from KL to me the best way to get to madras is by Malaysian Airlines. I have taken Air India Express which is really bottom of the pile: no service and inedible food.
Air Asia has begun flying to Trichinopoli( Trichy) in the south and i am sure they might fly to Madras as well.
Jet airways is a good alternative but very seldom do they have sale fares. This last time one way ticket to Madras from KL (december 2008) was 940 MYR (3.5 to one dollar)

The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus(CMBT) is a bus terminal in Chennai, India. And is the biggest bus station in Asia.

These buses will transport passengers to and from different destinations within Chennai. You can choose between A/C and non A/C coaches to travel to cities like Hyderabad, Trivandrum and Bangalore.

There are different bus stands for state owned (CMBT) buses and for private (Omni) buses. But all buses stop near Koyambedu. The private bus and the state owned bus are situated close to each other. the buses usually drop passengers at various points in the city.

The buses usually drop passengers at various points in the city. So, If you want to get down at your destination, you can always request the driver to drop you at the nearest point.

If you want to travel during weekends, do book tickets in advance, as most buses tend to be full.

I found that it was not easy to negotiate with drivers in Chennai. But, do persist and decide on the rate and destination before you get in. There are many to choose from, so if not happy, try the next one, they will surely give you a good price then.
As Chennai is so spread out, I did find it useful to hire a rickshaw and driver for a few hours to show me around and take me to specific sights.

Do make use of the pre-paid taxi service at the airport. There are about three operators to choose from; I made use of the Government-approved operator.
A trip from the airport to Egmore only cost Ind Rs 250 (January 2008).

Flying between Mumbai and Chennai with Kingfisher, was absolute joy. Departure from the domestic terminal in Mumbai was easy, as only two airlines operated from the specific terminal at that stage.
Staff members meet you as you enter the airport building and assist you all the way with friendliness.
The tariffs are very good, when I booked; the fare was about one third of competitors. Bookings can be made on the internet.
Also impressive is the in-flight entertainment – you can watch many different channels of live satellite TV.
I would recommend this airline anytime!

Chennai is an international airport connected by several international airlines while the domestic traffic is handled by Indian Airlines. There are regular flights to several cities around the world from the International Terminal. There are also daily flights to all important centres in India from the Domestic Terminal. There are two major railway stations in Chennai. Chennai Central is the bigger one and connects the city by broad gauge as also broad gauge trains to all major cities and towns of India. The Egmore station is the starting point for both meter gauge and broad gauge trains proceeding to destinations within the state as well as trains to neighbouring Kerala. Chennai is also accessible by road from any part of India.

Air: Kamaraj National and Anna International Airports are situated at Meenambakkam about 20 kms. from city. Can also be reached by suburban train services.

Rail: Chennai is connected by rail with all major towns and cities in India. Main Railway Stations: Central and Egmore. Central linking north and west and Egmore south.

Road: Chennai is connected by good network of roads with all important places in Tamil Nadu and other parts of India. You may rent a car with private cab owners. Pre-paid taxis and airport coaches are available at airports.

Driving in & around Chennai is chaotic. Everyone drives like mad guys with little respect for traffic order. Cars honking everywhere. It's better to sit down, relax and let the locals to drive you around. Beware of motorcyles & autos. And oh yeah, nobody wears helmet and nobody wears seat belts here. Most people drive with the windows open to get 'fresh' air from outside. Also, just close your eyes if you can't take it when the car overtakes and runs over kerbs or road dividers. It's perfectly normal.

* These are fun to ride in (a.k.a terrifying) and even more fun to see how many people you can fit into one. The price should be around 40-50 rupees (as of summer 2006), but at night the price will go up understandably. As a foreigner you'll get charged more. Don't try to pit rickshaw drivers against each other in a bidding war, it won't work, they stick together.