Chennai to Vellore Cab Fare
The medical-travel route out of Chennai. Fares by vehicle, the day-return maths, and an honest word about appointment timings at CMC before you book a car home the same evening.
In short
Chennai to Vellore is about 140 km and takes roughly 3 hours. A one-way drop is ₹2,100 – 2,600 in a sedan and ₹3,000 – 3,600 in an Innova. A day return works out at about ₹4,140 – 4,240 before tax — 280 km garage-to-garage at ₹13 a kilometre plus ₹500 – 600 driver bata.
Reviewed 20 September 2026 · fares and day-return arithmetic re-checked each quarter with the main rate card
Chennai → Vellore fare by vehicle
One-way as the market quotes it, and the day return worked from the published round-trip rate on about 280 kilometres garage to garage.
| Vehicle | One-way drop | Day return, billed km | Kilometre charge | Driver bata | Day return before tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedan — Dzire, Etios | ₹2,100 – 2,600 | 280 km at ₹13 | ₹3,640 | ₹500 – 600 | ₹4,140 – 4,240 |
| Innova — 7+1 | ₹3,000 – 3,600 | 280 km at ₹17 – 18 | ₹4,760 – 5,040 | ₹600 | ₹5,360 – 5,640 |
| Innova Crysta — 7+1 | ₹5,850 – 7,300 | 280 km at ₹20 – 23 | ₹5,600 – 6,440 | ₹700 – 800 | ₹6,300 – 7,240 |
| Tempo Traveller 12 – 14 | ₹6,900 – 9,100 | 280 km at ₹21 – 25 | ₹5,880 – 7,000 | ₹700 – 800 | ₹6,580 – 7,800 |
The CMC appointment problem nobody warns you about
Most Chennai-to-Vellore bookings are hospital bookings, and most of them are made on the assumption that a morning appointment finishes in the morning. It frequently does not. Registration, consultation, an investigation the consultant orders on the spot, then the report — a first visit at CMC can occupy a whole day, and a car booked to leave at one o'clock becomes a car waiting at five.
Two consequences worth knowing before you book. First, on a day return the waiting is inside the price: you are billed per kilometre against the 250 km daily minimum, not by the hour, so a six-hour wait at the hospital changes nothing about your fare. That is the opposite of a one-way drop, where waiting is ₹150 an hour.
Second, if the day is genuinely open-ended — a first consultation, a scan that may or may not be ordered — the day return is the right booking even if you think you will be quick, because the downside is capped at ₹4,140 to ₹4,240 in a sedan. Book two one-way drops and you are paying twice over with no car in between.
Where the appointment is likely to run into the evening, say so and we will price an overnight. A patient in a car on the Vellore road at ten at night after a full hospital day is a poor end to it.
Golden Temple, and the other reason people go
The Sripuram Golden Temple at Thirumalaikodi, just outside Vellore, is the other steady draw on this route, and it makes for a straightforward day return in the same 280-kilometre shape as the hospital trip — out in the morning, back in the evening, billed the same way. Vellore Fort sits in the town itself for anyone making a day of both.
This is a transport page, so that is as far as we go on what to see: we quote the vehicle, the driver and the fare, and the temple's own timings and entry rules are better read from a source that maintains them.
One practical point that is ours to make: temple day trips out of Chennai tend to start late and hospital trips tend to start early, and the traffic on the way out of the city is completely different at six in the morning and at nine. Tell us which kind of day it is and we will set the departure accordingly rather than quoting you the same start time as everyone else.
Why Vellore and Tirupati cost the same and feel different
Both are about 140 kilometres from Chennai and both come out at roughly ₹4,140 to ₹4,240 for a sedan day return. The similarity ends at the state line.
Tirupati is in Andhra Pradesh, so it carries an inter-state permit paid at the check-post and billed at actuals. Vellore is in Tamil Nadu, so it does not — your quote has a kilometre charge, bata, tolls and GST on it, and nothing else. When you are comparing two quotes across the two routes, that missing line is the whole difference.
The other difference is timing pressure. Tirupati days are shaped around getting there early; Vellore days are shaped around not knowing when you will leave. Those want different departure times and different bookings, and an operator who treats them as the same 140-kilometre run is not paying attention.
Questions we answer daily
What is the cab fare from Chennai to Vellore?
₹2,100 to ₹2,600 for a one-way drop in a sedan and ₹3,000 to ₹3,600 in an Innova, over about 140 km and three hours. A day return is roughly ₹4,140 to ₹4,240 before tax: 280 km garage-to-garage at ₹13 a kilometre plus ₹500 to ₹600 driver bata.
Is a day return to Vellore better than two one-way drops?
Almost always, especially for a hospital visit. A day return caps your cost at about ₹4,140 to ₹4,240 in a sedan with the waiting included, because you are billed per kilometre against the daily minimum rather than by the hour. Two drops cost more and leave you without a car at CMC all day.
Do I pay waiting charges if my CMC appointment runs late?
Not on a day return — the waiting is inside the fare, and a six-hour wait changes nothing about the bill. Waiting at ₹150 an hour applies only to one-way drop bookings, which is precisely why a drop is the wrong product for an open-ended hospital day.
Is there a state permit charge for Chennai to Vellore?
No. Vellore is in Tamil Nadu, so no inter-state permit arises — unlike Tirupati at a similar distance, which is in Andhra Pradesh and carries one at actuals. Your Vellore quote carries the kilometre charge, driver bata, tolls at actuals and 5% GST, and nothing else.
How long does it take to drive from Chennai to Vellore?
About three hours for the roughly 140 kilometres, in normal conditions. Departure time changes the experience more than the distance does: leaving the city at six in the morning and leaving at nine are two different journeys, which is why we set the departure around what kind of day you are having.
Can you take a patient from a Chennai hospital to CMC Vellore?
Yes, and it is a regular referral run for us over the roughly 140 km. Where the patient is in a wheelchair or has limited mobility we allocate a high-roof, flat-floor vehicle with attendant seating rather than whatever is nearest, and the driver is briefed on the gate. The patient transport page sets out that product.
What does a tempo traveller cost to Vellore?
A day return is about ₹6,580 to ₹7,800 before tax — 280 km at ₹21 to ₹25 a kilometre plus ₹700 to ₹800 driver bata. Across twelve or fourteen people that is roughly ₹500 to ₹600 a head for the day, which is why family groups visiting the Golden Temple usually take one vehicle.
Should I book an overnight if the appointment is in the afternoon?
Often yes. An afternoon appointment that overruns puts you on the Vellore road after dark at the end of a long hospital day. Two calendar days bill at a 500 km minimum on a sedan — about ₹6,500 in kilometres plus two days of bata — and we will tell you when that is the better booking.
Related pages
- Patient transport Wheelchair vehicles and standby
- Chennai to Tirupati cab Same distance, plus a permit
- Full Chennai rate card Per-km rates and minimums
- Fare calculator Day return or overnight
- Sedan rental The usual Vellore vehicle
- Chennai to Kanchipuram cab The other short western run
Send the trip. Get the whole number back.
Pickup, date, vehicle, passengers. A written all-in price on WhatsApp, usually inside 30 minutes, 6 am to 11 pm. No advance needed for a quote.