In Tamil Nadu, the public transport system meets the transport requirements of around one-fourth of the workforce. The robust public transport covers almost the entire length and breadth of the state. 

Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) operates public transport bus service in Tamil Nadu. As the largest government bus transport corporation in India, the TNSTC operates buses along intra and interstate bus routes as well as city routes.  There are around eight divisions in TNSTC, including Metropolitan Transport Corporation in Chennai and State Express Transport Corporation. 

The State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) runs long-distance express services and links all important cities, tourist destinations, religious places and commercial hubs and bordering states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry.  The SETC allows advance booking and operates buses of various classes of services such as semi-deluxe, ultra-deluxe and air-conditioned. Private operators too run a set of buses in different parts of the state, supplementing the SETC.