Auroville Community Transport

Timings and Location(s)

Auroville Community Transport act@auroville.org.in or call at +91 (413) 262 2962

Time Table:

Starts from Auroville: 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Returns from Pondy: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
The Route: Verite / Town Hall / Solar Kitchen / Certitude Gate / Kuilapalayam State Bank / Last School Gate / Repos ECR opp. Third Eye restaurant / Quiet ECR / Lotus Hotel Pondy Mission-Boulevard corner / Ashram Pondy
Remember you need your travel pass prior to boarding the bus as the driver is not equipped to deliver travel passes. Travel Passes are now available from Financial Service (Town Hall and Aspiration), w:st="on"Quiet Healing Center, Guest Service and participating Guest Houses.                                                                                  Anybody with a 'Pour Tous' Account can obtain a travel pass.

General Information and Background

It is a daily bus shuttle from Auroville to Pondy, which started in 2009.

Members and Affiliations

The team launching the project, consists of Chandresh (coordination), Anand (financial/program analysis), Taj (logistics & outreach), Hari (SAIIER transport executive) and Tharani (mechanic & logistics). This team works from the SaraCon building in the Industrial Zone of Auroville in consultation with Hari of SAIIER who is working from the Service Area of Auroville. The buses are registered as private service vehicles. They are operating under the City Services of Auroville

Aims and Objectives

Auroville Community Transport propose a daily Auroville/Pondy shuttle service for the sole use of Aurovilians and guest residing in Auroville. We are issuing travelling passes that will require a participatory contribution of Rs 250 each from the users to cover running and development costs. The travelling pass allows 10 one-way trips on any of the buses. Users going to Pondy on the bus, but coming back by their own means will have their card punched once by the driver (and vice versa). Users going on a round trip to Pondy will have their card punched twice, once each time they board the bus. If a user want to ride the bus on only part of the route (for example - Town Hall to Quiet) the card will be punched once; we appreciate your generosity that keeps the system functioning fully. In a nutshell the travelling pass must be punched by the driver each time one boards the bus. The pass does not expire, you can use it at your own pace. The travelling pass caries no name, it can be used by yourself, any member of your family and friends or anyone you choose to extend this gift to. When travelling in a group the same pass can be punched once for each rider in the group. Remember that you will need to have a travel pass before boarding the bus as the driver is not equipped to deliver travel passes. Shortly announcement will be made on where to get the travelling passes.
Auroville Community Transport proposes to research and apply practical solutions to the exchange of petrol transportation with clean alternative public transport. We are still utilising fossil fuel at present until we are ready to expand the public transport network within Auroville and go electric. This service will help reduce community pollution as a whole. The cost of saved fuel and maintenance of individual transport is used to develop a community resource.

ACT key projects are: electrical bicycles, e-mopeds and e-rickshaws as well as e-public transport for Auroville and eventually the paving of Auroville’s road network.

We have on-going applied research for electrical and solar solutions for transport in Auroville such as cargo trolleys, tandem cycles, tricycles, solar charging stations and solar trams. We invite participation through technology transfers and capital infusions. Donations are welcome from individuals, units and foundations.