[gold class]

[quote=binaiks;1614573]The Shama that operates to Kerala, is indeed based in Thrissur. Their current "Head Office" is at the same place where Puzhakkadavil was once based. I think Shama took over Puzhakkadavil's assets.


All of you guys are mistaken. SHAMA is owned by a Bangalore based business man.He deals with real estate and spare parts business. SHAMA means light/spark in Urdu(not his wife s name as some one mentioned , and also he is not a liquor supplier ). Shama's headquarters is at Bangalore. The trichur office has taken the contract /incharge of all of shama's operation in kerala. The chart operation for all trips to BLR from KERALA is handled at TCR office. Puzhekadavil is no where related to shama. Its just that the current TCR office operates in their old office. That's why its mentioned as puzhekadavil travel center.

SHAMA now have 10 Volvo's at present. They sold two of their buses last week.(2 mark ii, 6mark i, 2 Volvo n-a/c sleeper mark i). They don't have B9R's. These are the routes that shama operates:
BLR- TVM , BLR- PATANAMTITA, BLR -EKM , BLR- VELANKNI.
SHAMA is going to introduce the multi-axle Mercedes- Benz in Jan next year. Its is for the first time in india. The launching function is to happen in first week of jan at Delhi.

Other operators base:
KALLADA-irinjalakuda Trichur
SPS- Bhavani/Erode
SRM- Chennai
Parveen-Chennai(He is actually from sivakasi)
Sofiyalines-TVM
Paddikkal- BLR-(He is from Guruvayur/Edapal)
Jabbar- BLR
VRL- Hubli

[TheARUN]

Does anyone know about NATIONAL TRAVELS?

It seems it belongs to a Muslim Politician who was a minister in the Kumaraswamy Government. I saw him on television driving a brand new bus full of rebel MLAs to a resort near Doddaballapur

[kadri007]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

Does anyone know about NATIONAL TRAVELS?

It seems it belongs to a Muslim Politician who was a minister in the Kumaraswamy Government. I saw him on television driving a brand new bus full of rebel MLAs to a resort near Doddaballapur

Zameer Ahmed Khan is a partner in National Travels, a two-time MLA, National Travels is one of the biggest transport companies in the state.


It is also one of the oldest companies of Bangalore. It started its service in 1927.

[foby.sebastian]

[quote=gold class;1615759]

Originally Posted by binaiks

The Shama that operates to Kerala, is indeed based in Thrissur. Their current "Head Office" is at the same place where Puzhakkadavil was once based. I think Shama took over Puzhakkadavil's assets.


All of you guys are mistaken. SHAMA is owned by a Bangalore based business man.He deals with real estate and spare parts business. SHAMA means light/spark in Urdu(not his wife s name as some one mentioned , and also he is not a liquor supplier ). Shama's headquarters is at Bangalore. The trichur office has taken the contract /incharge of all of shama's operation in kerala. The chart operation for all trips to BLR from KERALA is handled at TCR office. Puzhekadavil is no where related to shama. Its just that the current TCR office operates in their old office. That's why its mentioned as puzhekadavil travel center.

SHAMA now have 10 Volvo's at present. They sold two of their buses last week.(2 mark ii, 6mark i, 2 Volvo n-a/c sleeper mark i). They don't have B9R's. These are the routes that shama operates:
BLR- TVM , BLR- PATANAMTITA, BLR -EKM , BLR- VELANKNI.
SHAMA is going to introduce the multi-axle Mercedes- Benz in Jan next year. Its is for the first time in india. The launching function is to happen in first week of jan at Delhi.

Other operators base:
KALLADA-irinjalakuda Trichur
SPS- Bhavani/Erode
SRM- Chennai
Parveen-Chennai(He is actually from sivakasi)
Sofiyalines-TVM
Paddikkal- BLR-(He is from Guruvayur/Edapal)
Jabbar- BLR
VRL- Hubli

,
gr8 info buddy thank you for correcting

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by kiku007

Hey Kadri, nice pics there! Wonder why AL isn't there. Afterall they are only a few Kms away at Hosur.

Talking about that, can someone please tell if AL manufactures at 2 locations, Ennore and Hosur? Do they sell so much or what?

And also what does the Hosur plant manufacture? When I do Chennai - Bangalore drives I see this chassis alone vehicles going from Chennai side and wonder why they don't just get it from Hosur.

ALL totally have 6+1 units across India. Each units are engaged in manufacturing of differant aggregates as listed below.

1. Chennai - Ennore : The mother plant of ALL started in 1950's. It makes all buses except ULE, in trucks it makes 2214,2516, 2518 - haulage, 1613,2516 - tipper. Its also involved in making Engines and gear boxes.
2.Hosur - Unit 1 : It makes Engines, gear boxes.Falcon range of LHD buses, 12m buses and in trucks it makes 1611,1612,1613,1616,2214,2516 tippers.
3.Hosur - Unit 2 : Its unique of all plants as it has the facility to make cabs. It makes all cabed vehicles that include - 912,1112,1613,2516 RMC, 3516,4018,4019,4921 etc.
It also makes all types of defence and special application vehicles like Stallion- 4x4 and 6x6, LRV, HMV, TFF- Truck Fire Fighter.
It also exports trucks like 1518, 1618, 4930 both RHD and LHD version.
It gets its engines from Ennore and Hosur 1. This plant is chosen for manufacturing Nissan range of vehicles which is due for launch in 2010.
THis plant also features Side Memeber Press Shop. All the frames to various units are produced here and shipped to them.
4. Alwar : It does mainly bus bosy building and is into manufacture of ULE's.
5.Bhandara : Mostly gear boxes and also few models like 2214.
6.Uttarkhant : Brand new facility with integrated body, paint and trim engine and gear box shops. This is capable of making all types of vehicles.
2214 is one model which is produced in all units of ALL and no wonder its the largest selling model in ALL's stable.
This is slated to produce the Next Generation Cabs (NGC) of ALL. These NGC's are targeted squarely aganinst Tata World Truck series.
Apart from this there is a Technical centre in Vellivoyla Chavadi - Chennai involved in all design, testing and validation of all vehicles.

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

I travelled in a Volvo city bus (8400?) in Chennai yesterday. There was a strange sound and slight vibration when the gears were changing. I dont know if this was a problem just in that bus, or some issue in the current lot. Strange, considering that the bus i travelled in was almost brand new (the regn number indicated it was in the recent batch launched by the TN CM within the last couple of weeks).

Anyone else noticed this in any recent Volvo city buses?

That's found even in their earlier supplies and I have even quoted about this in my earlier posts. Thats very high in last row of seats and with limited passengers onboard its really high and makes you feel uncomfortable.
Its due to poor NVH filtering materials used in bus.

[prmd_cochin]

KeSRTC Super Fast and Super Express Buses, those painting patterns are decades old.

Credit. Ksrtc Blog

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by prmd_cochin

KeSRTC Super Fast and Super Express Buses, those painting patterns are decades old.

I am actually glad that KeSRTC went back to the vintage painting scheme, although the buses are "modern" in design. (By "Modern", its just that the design is inspired from the Volvo design).

The two most adorable liveries from KeSRTC are that of the Express and that of the Fast Passenger. The Express uses Green, while the FP is painted Red. Both are the extreme ends of the "service spectrum" of KSRTC.

The last pic (of the three images attached in the above post) is that of the TATA LPO1612 bus operated by KeSRTC. Only 5 of them were built. The body was built by KeSRTC Central Works, Pappanamcode (Trivandrum).

Attaching a pic showing the two "classic" liveries from KeSRTC.

[deepclutch]

Yes.The Red,Green Painting Scheme is something Keralites are accustomed for Decades.Another Positive thing is ,AFAICT Bus Bodies are Again Built at KSRTC(kerala) Regional Workshops.I personally love the Examples Made at Aluva Regional Workshop(Mostly Tata? I guess).

[sudheeshnairs]

Thanks Pramod for the pic of the new Express bus with curtains

I used to watch the end of the assembly line of the new buses at Central Workshop, Pappanamcode during the 1990s, from the terrace of my Aunt's house. My house was at the other end of the Central Workshop, about one km before, at Kaimanam. There the scene was of 'repairs' and 'conversions from Expresses/Fasts to Local/city buses. My room was in the upper floor opening in to terrace with a view towards this yard. As a kid/student, whenever I heard the roar of a new bus, I used to run out to the terrace to have a view. Those memories are still in my mind, the newly painted tail ends taking a turn and fading away.

The new assembly line 'end' was very close to terrace of my Aunt's house. I could see buses in their skeleton, made of wood and steel plates, and then covered with sheet metal. Then it would be taken for painting in the adjoining 'hangar'. It was very much interesting to watch the works as well new painted buses being parked. The frame was of wood with metal covering those days. I am not sure whether the same construction is followed these days too. Later when Ganesh Kumar introduced the new bodies/scheme, I think metal/aluminium was used and not wood, am I right?

I had felt bad when KSRTC went back to the old design, with Express and Super Fasts going back to the 'shutter' window age. But now with those glass windows and curtains, I have started liking it. It was a dramatic and surprise change when Ganesh Kumar introduced the new swanky looking buses with tinted glass windows. (Anyway those buses deteriorated faster). I had been always jealous about the better looking buses of 'Nesamony Transport Corporation' (Later TNSTC, Madurai) buses doing services in the Trivandrum-Nagercoil sector. But things began to change from that time. KSRTC buses started looking better and deterioration of Tamil Nadu buses started.

I always wanted to have retractable glass windows for buses, especially for the long distance ones like Expresses and Super Fasts. It is very difficult sitting on the side seat when these buses rip through our roads. You would be tired by the end of the journey. And if it night, you may get cold also. My native place is in Kollam district and whenver I went there during child hood & college days, I felt like this. If it is glass, we can adjust the amount of air being blasted in. Of course for city service or local buses, perhaps we can be ok with shutters, being in a tropical humid place. (I remember the negative feedback from public as news reports in dailies, about the glass windows, but wonder there are places with similar hot/humid climate where glass windows are used for buses, say like BEST in Mumbai).

[foby.sebastian]

My brother took this photo from Goa , when he visited there last month

[prmd_cochin]

Originally Posted by foby.sebastian

My brother took this photo from Goa , when he visited there last month

It looks like a grass hoper.

[foby.sebastian]

Unloading the Winner , near edappally signal

[foby.sebastian]

Sorry for the poor quality pic , it was mid night

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

ALL totally have 6+1 units across India. Each units are engaged in manufacturing of differant aggregates as listed below.

Thank You Ashley! It was an eye opener!!