The State government has sanctioned Rs 550 crore to buy 1,000 new buses to replace the ageing fleet and refurbish 1,000 old buses.All eight State transport undertakings together have a fleet of 20,257 buses and their average age is 7.65 years. Out of the total, 9,253 buses (46%) are too old, as per the norms fixed by the government.According to a GO of the State Transport Department, the appropriate cost of new custom-built Bharat Stage 6 diesel buses without ITS components is Rs 42 lakh.The chairman office, Transport Department, has requested the government to sanction Rs 420 crore to procure 1,000 new custom-built buses for the TN State Transport Corporatio (TNSTC) in Salem, Coimbatore, Kumbakonam, Madurai and Tirunelveli. TNSTC Kumbakonam would get 250 new buses while Salem would get the lowest – 100 buses. The new buses would comply with all the latest provisions of the bus body code – AIS-052 – provisions for persons with disability.