Rashly Driven Private Buses

[Jimmyjosek]

Extreme overtakes.

If you are a lover of high speed bus action, you have to come to Kerala. I dont think any other state in India has drivers flying their buses

Here you can see Gopika, a Trissur-Kannur Limited Stop bus squeezing in between two Ambys. Mind you, the bus is doing 80 kmph plus. The bus passes through the small gap between the cars. So close, but never touches

[smashnerd]

Originally Posted by Jimmyjosek

Extreme overtakes.

If you are a lover of high speed bus action, you have to come to Kerala. I dont think any other state in India has drivers flying their buses

Here you can see Gopika, a Trissur-Kannur Limited Stop bus squeezing in between two Ambys. Mind you, the bus is doing 80 kmph plus. The bus passes through the small gap between the cars. So close, but never touches

Well, it really is dangerous on Kerala's roads, I've been on one where the driver was flying through 1 lane roads/shortcuts. I mean, what if someone just popped out of the corner? Later on he even had a race with a KSRTC bus.

[ambivalent_98]

Originally Posted by Jimmyjosek

Extreme overtakes.

If you are a lover of high speed bus action, you have to come to Kerala. I dont think any other state in India has drivers flying their buses

Here you can see Gopika, a Trissur-Kannur Limited Stop bus squeezing in between two Ambys. Mind you, the bus is doing 80 kmph plus. The bus passes through the small gap between the cars. So close, but never touches

Skillful indeed but this is the scene in many cities / highways and not only in Kerala. However I have found that the daredevil bus drivers are also to be found in Tamil Nadu. Rather they are the folk who drive the State Road Transport buses.
A long time ago when I have driven to Coimbatore from Bangalore , and then later from Madurai to Kodai , these crazy drivers had scared the daylights out of me more than once especially on the mountain roads. I mean I accept it is their daily commute but it wasn't mine. I was on holiday and in a puny Maruti 800

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by Jimmyjosek

If you are a lover of high speed bus action, you have to come to Kerala.

You are applauding it or??

If it was in our state we could have pulled that driver out and thrashed the daylights out of him.

[prmd_cochin]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

You are applauding it or??

If it was in our state we could have pulled that driver out and thrashed the daylights out of him.

Everyone loves speed.

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

If it was in our state we could have pulled that driver out and thrashed the daylights out of him.

Then you'll have time only for that! There are over 15000 Private Stage Carriages in Kerala, and a majority of them (atleast 90% of them) drive this way. You'll have to practically thrash each driver.

In majority of the places, public opinion is against these rash buses - but you really don't have choice. With just a shade over 5000 buses, the state run KSRTC is now way ready to face the challenge if these 15000 buses were to be withdrawn.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by binaiks

Then you'll have time only for that! There are over 15000 Private Stage Carriages in Kerala, and a majority of them (atleast 90% of them) drive this way. You'll have to practically thrash each driver.

In majority of the places, public opinion is against these rash buses - but you really don't have choice. With just a shade over 5000 buses, the state run KSRTC is now way ready to face the challenge if these 15000 buses were to be withdrawn.

+1 to that

Moreover, there's the private bus "lobby" that plays dirty tricks - greasing the hands of the officials concerned so that they won't allot new permits to KSRTC buses in their routes, sometimes bribing the drivers/conductors of KSRTC buses so that they'd trail behind these private buses (finally the corporation would withdraw the service citing financial non-viability), just to name a few.

But some routes are in a better shape now with the introduction of new KSRTC services

There were cases booked against some private bus personnel (of Palakkad-Thrissur route) for adding kerosene to diesel so that their buses would get extra pick-up. That was a couple of years back. And I don't know if kerosene acts like NOS

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by prmd_cochin

Everyone loves speed.

Yeah, but then on public roads?

Originally Posted by binaiks

Then you'll have time only for that!

Now I know why they get away with it.

Originally Posted by silversteed

+1 to that

There is this similiar story with 2 bus routes in Goa. They both got nationalised after a lot of complaints against the private bus operators by the "public". In Goa too they are run by politicians and the same tactics were employed as you mentioned. But the citizens here showed some spine in opposing these tactics. Instead of cribbing about lack of options like you folks.

The last straw was a fully loaded Paulo bus ploughing into a field at high speeds killing the conductor. Also remember students from one college on the above 2 routes blocking all the private buses for their rash driving after one of them ran over a student, injuring him badly. That put an end to private bus operators on those routes. Now we see much better services from private operators on other routes.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Yeah, but then on public roads?



Now I know why they get away with it.



There is this similiar story with 2 bus routes in Goa. They both got nationalised after a lot of complaints against the private bus operators by the "public". In Goa too they are run by politicians and the same tactics were employed as you mentioned. But the citizens here showed some spine in opposing these tactics. Instead of cribbing about lack of options like you folks.

The last straw was a fully loaded Paulo bus ploughing into a field at high speeds killing the conductor. Also remember students from one college on the above 2 routes blocking all the private buses for their rash driving after one of them ran over a student, injuring him badly. That put an end to private bus operators on those routes. Now we see much better services from private operators on other routes.

During my school days, though there weren't as many buses as we have now, it was kind of an open field for private players in our route. Most of them were driven very rash and hardly anyone kept time. The passengers came up with a Bus Passengers' Association and pressurized the officials concerned to allot a few KSRTC buses. The private bus owners tried to derail it, but it didn't quite work out. And there were two state buses plying on our roads. These two services are still in operation. It was like a fairy tale.

The problem is, people don't have the patience nor time to actively push for nationalization of many routes. And inside Ernakulam city where the private buses are notorious for their rash driving and indecent behaviour (recently a cleaner molested a female in broad daylight because she didn't get into the bus quickly), life would be at a stand-still if the private buses pull out. KSRTC doesn't have the necessary infrastructure to provide for the public's daily commute. All these put together, people are most often at the mercy of the private operators.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by silversteed

The passengers came up with a Bus Passengers' Association and pressurized the officials concerned to allot a few KSRTC buses.

I think we need such initiatives back. Associations like this can make a lot of change. With all the corruption its possible to get things done. Problem is the people who dont bother.

Feel sorry for the people of such a beatiful state.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by Jimmyjosek

Here you can see Gopika, a Trissur-Kannur Limited Stop bus squeezing in between two Ambys. Mind you, the bus is doing 80 kmph plus. The bus passes through the small gap between the cars.

Maybe you should take a look at this thread before making such a statement.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ndia-pics.html (Accidents in India - PICS)

[Amartya]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Maybe you should take a look at this thread before making such a statement.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ndia-pics.html (Accidents in India - PICS)

Thanks for pointing out this thread, I was about to do the same. It's a common gripe of mine that people in our country take pride in the "barely avoided accident" scenario, it's ridiculous. "High speed bus action", to quote from the original post, is simply foolhardy.

Then, I go back to the Indian Cars section and see a thread called, "the best dadagiri cars", I wonder.......

[prmd_cochin]

I agree driving fast can be dangerous, but let me say this too I hate to be in a bus that crawls.

Some time back I had travelled from Trivandrum to Ernakulam in a KaSRTC Airawat volvo which was hopelessly slow due to the speed limiter on board. That was the most frustrating thing in my life.

I wont mind and always have waited at the bus stand for my fav( read fastest) bus while there were other buses leaving for the same destination.

I use to take the Mubarak service from Thodupuzha to Ernakulam, Kothamangalam - Kunjithany PPK sons Limited Stop to name a few.

These driving looks rash due to the roads.

[Amartya]

Originally Posted by prmd_cochin

These driving looks rash due to the roads.

Please don't take it personally, but I think you need to reconsider your statement.
If the driving "looks" rash due to the roads, then it definitely is. A good driver is supposed to make the road "look" less dangerous and is also supposed to adapt his driving style according to the conditions.

Driving fast and driving responsibly need not be mutually exclusive. It's all about the road, if it permits safe and fast driving (for example, wide lanes, proper lighting etc.) it's absolutely fine. But the picture in question had a bus supposedly driving on a narrow road, squeezing through two cars at 80km/h, now that's foolhardy, to encourage it, stupid.

[deepclutch]

Originally Posted by pramd_cochin

I use to take the Mubarak service from Thodupuzha to Ernakulam, Kothamangalam - Kunjithany PPK sons Limited Stop to name a few.

These driving looks rash due to the roads.

Driving Fast in Narrow Roads(or so called "State" Highway) in Kerala by Private Buses are Life Threatening to Both People and other Vehicles.I am Writing this thinking of SH43(Palarivattom –Muvattupuzha) in Kerala.