[volkman10]

It is the customer to decide that he gets the comfort and ride quality for the value that he paid for, whether Volvo or non -Volvo.

Not clear in this case, seems the customer is getting the comfort and ride quality. Not sure if this thread would serve its intended purpose!

Cheers!

[ninjatalli]

lol.

I would love to know what was going through the minds of the driver/conductor of the bus (in your 2009 based incident) Jokes apart, most of Shivneri buses are Mercs and they are far better than the Neeta Volvos - and that has nothing to do with the make of the bus - rather Shivneri buses are maintained and driven better; and that has a far better experience.

Seriously, unless someone was trying to peddle the older "luxury" buses as a Volvo, I really don't think that is an issue, and certainly not for a Mumbai - Pune trip. Volvo has become more of a household name for the best in bus services than a specific brand. I see no issue in the same.

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by Newpunter

if the operator is selling tickets for a Volvo, it has to be a volvo, not any generic A/c bus.
There is a world of difference between the two. The comfort and speed of a Volvo is unmatched so far in our country. a Volvo would have taken much less time to reach there. I was told the right time was around 8:30 to 9 AM.

This is exactly my point. Thank you so much. Speed and pickup & ride comfort is more in Volvo rather than in Ceritas et all.

Originally Posted by kpzen

Selling tickets with the name of Volvo is not ethically correct.
But, Whats wrong with HINO buses ?

Talking about the informed segment, There are specific advertisements like "multi-axle" volvo, "multi-axle" Mercedes etc for the informed segment. If the operator or market was really naive, multi axle or even 10 axles would not make a difference at all.

Nothing is wrong with HINO Buses. If Volvos are sold as volvos and HINOs as HINOs, Its a win win situation for the person who wants to travel by Volvo & HINO. When i pay the money in full for a Volvo, I personally expect B7R, B9R or the upcoming B12R. I dont prefer Ceritas, Hinos etc.

Originally Posted by nozzlering

scopriobharath, IMO, your complaint is a bit childish.
By the way, Shivneri is at anytime better than other private operators.

It is an indian law that the customer MUST be informed about the operator and vehicle. On a similar note, cleartrip had a scheme where one was supposed to book an air ticket for a generic flight between say 2-4 pm. Operator and exact time was shared only a day before the flight. Court was against this as this is a basic human right to know which flight i go.

Similarly, When i pay for a volvo, i expect B7R or B9R only. If i want Hino or mercedes, allow me to select that bus, dont force me to take one. Karnataka KSRTC offers this facility, why not others.

Agreed - Shivneri is far better than Neeta and Purple.

Originally Posted by freewheelburnin

I too had similar experience in Chennai.Guess People interchangably use name "Volvo" for AC buses.I took a volvo bus ticket and on entering bus found it was not volvo.I asked the bus conductor and he said it is "Indian Volvo".

Right - This is also a case of cheating. The bus can be promoted as an AC Airbus and not Volvo.

Originally Posted by srishiva

Well, if Volvo buses are charged more, you should get a Volvo bus. Else, he should just state the ticket value and leave the choice to the customer.

Right - This is what i am telling. This happens in KArnataka KSRTC. You can choose the bus. Ambaari and Mayura are "volvo type" but promoted as AC Air bus and not Volvo. I like this attitude.

Originally Posted by noopster

Why are you making such a big deal about this? Are the Cerita (or other) buses you travelled by that uncomfortable?

I personally felt Volvo B7 & B9 more comfortable and faster than other. The speed and comfort of Volvo cannot be matched by other manufacturers.

For one instance, A cerita struggled to climb the Lonavla Ghat section on the Mum-pune expressway while a B7R just sped away.

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Add less travel tiredness because of a superior suspension compared to a Hino.
Yes, if you are paying for a Volvo, you should get a volvo or a discount in your ticket to match the ticket cost of a non Volvo. Tickets in a Volvo are priced very high due to the initial investment cost for the travels operator. Why should anyone pay the same for half priced Hino bus. Mercedes should be clubbed with Volvo.

Agreed - Fatigue is less in Volvo. Ceritas and Hinos cost 20 lacs lesser and should have a ticket price of at least 50/- lesser than B7s & B9s.

Originally Posted by volkman10

It is the customer to decide that he gets the comfort and ride quality for the value that he paid for, whether Volvo or non -Volvo.
Not clear in this case, seems the customer is getting the comfort and ride quality. Not sure if this thread would serve its intended purpose!

The comfort level is like this Asiad --> Cerita et all --> Mercedes --> Volvo. Cerita offers good ride comfort no doubt but Volvo offers the MOST comfortable ride. Volvo has the fastest pickup of the lot. For uninformed segment it really does not matter but in the informed segment, it really matters, at least to me.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

lol.

I would love to know what was going through the minds of the driver/conductor of the bus (in your 2009 based incident)

I initially boarded the bus and infered that it was not a Volvo. I asked my wife to get down and I too unloaded the luggage and got down and told this is not a Volvo. Every staff member was telling its a Volvo. I clearly told them its a JCBL Cerita and not a Volvo. The look on the faces was like how they would feel if i asked to write his property in my name .

Trust me, I got into the next B7R that followed and it overtook that "Cerita Volvo" at the Khandala Ghats.

conclusion:

All I am saying is to promote the Bus as an AC Air Bus and not Volvo. By no means is AC Air bus lower or bad or below standards. Sell Apples as apples and Oranges as oranges.

[selfdrive]

I support the OP that things should be sold as they are. However, I am surprised that they are actually shouting as 'Volvo volvo'. Earlier they only screamed the destination and stops/ route. But then its been a while since I have been in a bus.

At the same time, scopriobharath; thanks for bringing this up. I had no idea of the difference as I avoid Neeta buses anyway. Its good enough for me to know these choices exist and next time I would know what to ask for. Or at least what to pay for.

[Zappo]

While in theory apples should be sold as apples and all that... I think in practical terms this is a bit impossible to implement. There are regular buses, AC buses and then there are, and it begins, Ceritas, Hinos, Isuzus, Mercs, Volvos and so many such. Now you really believe that each ticket should be marked and sold separately for each make of the buses? Really?

Let us look at it a little differently now. You are eagerly waiting for your Volvo to turn up on the chowk. Going home for the festivals and buses are running packed for weeks. You booked in advance and happy about that. However, after a 60 mins delay you learn that the Volvo has suffered a break down and they are cancelling the tickets. The next bus on the route by the same operator turns up at this point. This one is a Merc but will not allow you to board because you have a Volvo ticket and they do not have an immediate Volvo replacement available.

Does that sound fair enough? I don't think you will find it very appealing now. At least 99% others will not for sure. But the kind of solution you are proposing should also make this a very logical outcome.

In my opinion a class of buses and tickets for them is a more viable solution. Unfortunately Volvo is not a very good name for the class. So you may buy a super luxury class ticket. After that if you find one operator plys only Ceritas while another has Volvos you will know whom to travel with the next time around...

[Newpunter]

From my experience in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, atleast the operators here are clear enough and they mention the type of bus that we would be traveling on. When booking tickets on their site, they clearly mention if it is a multi axle volvo, or a Mercedes or just an A/C bus.
There is one private operator that I use frequently to travel from Vijayawada to Bangalore. They have 2 buses daily, one is a sleeper that is mentioned as Air conditioned and it started 45 minutes earlier to the Volvo and reaches later than the Volvo. So although the Volvo is a Semi Sleeper, I prefer it to the Sleeper.

[nitin_80]

I have also noticed buses marked as "VOLWO"...

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

I support the OP that things should be sold as they are. However, I am surprised that they are actually shouting as 'Volvo volvo'. Earlier they only screamed the destination and stops/ route. But then its been a while since I have been in a bus.

At the same time, scopriobharath; thanks for bringing this up. I had no idea of the difference as I avoid Neeta buses anyway. Its good enough for me to know these choices exist and next time I would know what to ask for. Or at least what to pay for.

Right - Nowadays - operators buy cheaper buses and brand them as Volvo. You also have Mockery buses like "Valvo", "Velvo", "Volva", "Volvo type" to misguide you. I am ataching a small picture to demonstrate.

Yes !! Do use B7R and B9R only. It is fast, fatigue free & good.

[Warwithwheels]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

I am sharing an incident.....

Do you really complain if a Xerox is taken from a Canon photocopier? Extend the same analogy here, your problem gets solved.

Some brands so completely dominate a field that they become synonymous with their product/ service.

[Vizay]

Talking about Volvo comfort, I heard from a friend that the club class introduced in ksrtc is much more comfortable compared to single or multi-axles. So, the seat design matters.
I see sites like redbus.in have clear categorization staring from business class (2+1) for Olivia.

OT, I feel the single axle volvo's rule when it comes to speed and maneuverability. Multi axle loses because of the size.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

Do you really complain if a Xerox is taken from a Canon photocopier? Extend the same analogy here, your problem gets solved.

Some brands so completely dominate a field that they become synonymous with their product/ service.

While this is true to an extent, the Canon photocopier will give a near to same or even better quality product than the Xerox one.

I dont think that can be true in case of the Volvo. This is what the OP has an issue with. Being promised the best quality but not getting the same.
Kind of similar to asking for a Bisleri bottle and getting a local water bottle. Not really the same. let me retry. Paying for an Evian bottle and getting some local water instead. Darn, I give up!

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

Do you really complain if a Xerox is taken from a Canon photocopier? Extend the same analogy here, your problem gets solved.

Some brands so completely dominate a field that they become synonymous with their product/ service.

I am really suprized that a photocopier offering a 1/- rs service is being compared with a 1 crore rupee Volvo. None of the machines offer me fatigue and whether its a canon or a Xerox, the same number of pages are output in the same amount of time.

I will have a concern, if the shop says Photocopy or Xerox and gives me Cyclostyle copies.

A photocopier does the same job at the same efficiency, I mean same quality, same number of pages per minute and at the very least, any photocopier produces easily readable prints.

On the same note, Ceritas and Hinos are not as comfortable and fast as Volvos.

[avira_tk]

The company is ripping off people and Volvo is not a generic type of bus whatever some people say. Volvo has spent the last decade to make it a ticket brand synonymous with speed and comfort.

Buses like Isuzu(horrid) should not be considered in the same league. Valvo and other phonetic spelling is piggybacking on a trusted name. Volvo had taken a few companies to court when they used Valvo/Volwo and so on on their buses.

[nozzlering]

Mumbai to Pune.
Excellent road.
Volvo ride is extremely comfortable.
While a ride on others ( read Mercedes, Cerita, ) gives us fatigue!!
We're blowing things out of proportion.
Agreed they should provide what they promise. But our prime concern is to travel from point A to B, in comfort, safely and quickly. And in the given condition a Mercedes does the same job done by a Volvo. Or a Hino.
My friend, you are talking as if you are to drive the bus. You have payed for the journey. Get to your comfortable seat. Lay back and enjoy the journey. Let a car overtake it. Let other bus overtake it. Let it overtake other vehicles.
I appreciate your stand for getting what you pay for. But your reasoning seems to be totally unreasonable.

One legit problem with private operators is they start with a Mumbai Darshan and end with Pune darshan and vice versa

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

Do you really complain if a Xerox is taken from a Canon photocopier? Extend the same analogy here, your problem gets solved.

Some brands so completely dominate a field that they become synonymous with their product/ service.

Volvo is not such a name, at least for the informed ones. Are any of the other brands (excluding Merc) offering the same experience ??

BTW, we do not have enough Mercs and certainly no Scania or Nissan or any other similar buses as we have photocopiers like Cannon, HP, Minolta, Konica, Ricoh, samsung, sharp, toshiba et all other than Xerox. There is no comparison here.

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

I will have a concern, if the shop says Photocopy or Xerox and gives me Cyclostyle copies.

A photocopier does the same job at the same efficiency, I mean same quality, same number of pages per minute and at the very least, any photocopier produces easily readable prints.

On the same note, Ceritas and Hinos are not as comfortable and fast as Volvos.

A very very valid analogy, why should I pay for a photocopy and get a cyclostyle instead.

Originally Posted by Zappo

Now you really believe that each ticket should be marked and sold separately for each make of the buses? Really?

It IS being done like that, if you want a Volvo/Merc, you are charged a premium, if it is ANY other bus, the rates are different. I know this from personal experience as I have paid over my budget because I wanted the VOLVO/MERC experience.

Originally Posted by Zappo

Let us look at it a little differently now. You are eagerly waiting for your Volvo to turn up on the chowk. Going home for the festivals and buses are running packed for weeks. You booked in advance and happy about that. However, after a 60 mins delay you learn that the Volvo has suffered a break down and they are cancelling the tickets. The next bus on the route by the same operator turns up at this point. This one is a Merc but will not allow you to board because you have a Volvo ticket and they do not have an immediate Volvo replacement available.

Why would they allow you to board a HINO or a whatever then ? Are they not taking you for a literal ride ? Promising you what you paid for and not allowing you to take an equivalent ?