[scopriobharath]

I am sharing an incident that i witnessed with my own eyes on how Neeta cheats customers on the Pune - Mumbai - Pune route with its "Volvo" Buses.

Now ask the general community (non TBHP uninformed segment) what is the difference between volvo & Asiad / ST bus and the answer would that volvo is AC & Asiad is non AC. Neeta is taking this oppurtunity and taking people for a ride.

I was waiting at Bromen chowk Aundh for my MSRTC bus and a Neeta bus pulled over. The Driver, Conductor, cleaner, helper, attender & even the ticket - agent started calling passengers to his bus shouting "Volvo to Dadar" "Volvo to Dadar" "Volvo to Dadar" . But in reality it was NOT a volvo. It was a HINO Bus . Let me attach a picture of the same.

This bus was being canvassed as a "Volvo".


Another bus which is canvassed as a "Volvo". this is a Mercedes - Sutlej bus


Ignore the MSRTC / Shivneri badge. there is a similar Cerita with Neeta which passes as a "Volvo".




My Question is Why sell Hino / Cerita tickets as a volvo? When one pays through the nose for a Volvo, why should the customer be cheated? At the very least they can say AC Bus / Air Bus etc. Why use the name Volvo. In 2009, I was "pushed" to board a Certia from Vashi to Pune and when i told them its not a Volvo, almost every staff attached to Neeta travels were telling me its a Volvo . I stood my ground and told them its a Cerita and i will travel by Volvo B7R/B9R only.

This post is aimed at highlighting the unethical behaviour and ring the bell for the un-informed sector.

I Personally prefer Volvo over other players for the following reasons.

• Most Comfortable compared to other manufacturers.
• Torquey on Ghats
• Can give sedans a run for thier money.
• Reaches 100 / 120 kmph effortlessly
• Volvo is the Pioneer in luxury bus segment in india and still today a market leader.
• Engine is less loud compared to others.

Question to TBHPians:

Any idea why this unethical practice is being followed ? If i was operating a bus service, I would sell apples as apples. Please comment.

[F50]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

My Question is Why sell Hino / Cerita tickets as a volvo? When one pays through the nose for a Volvo, why should the customer be cheated? At the very least they can say AC Bus / Air Bus etc. Why use the name Volvo. In 2009, I was "pushed" to board a Certia from Vashi to Pune and when i told them its not a Volvo, almost every staff attached to Neeta travels were telling me its a Volvo . I stood my ground and told them its a Cerita and i will travel by Volvo B7R/B9R only.

How much is the difference in price between Volvo and Non-Volvo bus? I feel the rates are fixed irrespective of the bus. I could be wrong as I'm not a frequent bus traveler.

Almost all manufacturer build buses which are identical to Volvos, for the ease of selling them. Most of the passengers care about reaching the place in time and safely and not by which build they are traveling by. Personally, I would like to travel in new Certia, Hino or Mercedes than a bruised and battered Volvo. But I do completely agree that Volvos are class of their own.

And the term "Volvo" is just an indicative word for the new age buses. Similar to term "Luxury Buses" (in earlier days) when they were much better to travel compared to ST buses.

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by F50

How much is the difference in price between Volvo and Non-Volvo bus?

Almost all manufacturer build buses which are identical to Volvos, for the ease of selling them. But I do completely agree that Volvos are class of their own.

And the term "Volvo" is just an indicative word for the new age buses.

Volvos and Mercs in the same price range of about 80 lacs but Ceritas are cheaper.

The Outer body and rear-engine Layout is the only thing similar to Volvo. The Engine power and Ride Quality is nowhere near Volvo.

I agree that its indicative but dont you think its unfair to use volvo to push non-volvo buses. Business ethics is not met and one can file a case with the court if he has sufficient proof. It is like getting a Akai LCD TV when one pays for a Sony LCD TV. Both are LCD TVs but quality differs. . I really wish they sell apples as apples.

[F50]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

I agree that its indicative but dont you think its unfair to use volvo to push non-volvo buses. Business ethics is not met and one can file a case with the court if he has sufficient proof. It is like getting a Akai LCD TV when one pays for a Sony LCD TV. Both are LCD TVs but quality differs. . I really wish they sell apples as apples.

Well, if they charge according to the bus i.e. (hypo) Rs 500 for non-Volvo and Rs. 700 for Volvo. Passengers paying for Volvo/Mercedes and gets Hino/Certia that's unfair. When prices are same then I guess passengers who travel by Volvo/Mercedes should be happy

MSRTC are all Volvos or mixed bag?

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by F50

Well, if they charge according to the bus i.e. (hypo) Rs 500 for non-Volvo and Rs. 700 for Volvo. Passengers paying for Volvo/Mercedes and gets Hino/Certia that's unfair. When prices are same then I guess passengers who travel by Volvo/Mercedes should be happy

MSRTC are all Volvos or mixed bag?

All cost the same, whereas in reality Cerita is 20 lacs cheaper and should cost at least RS 50/- lesser. All Neeta AC buses charge 300/- from Aundh to Dadar.

MSRTC has a negligible quantity of Mercs and Ceritas. Majority of them are Volvos

[neel385]

Originally Posted by F50

And the term "Volvo" is just an indicative word for the new age buses. Similar to term "Luxury Buses" (in earlier days) when they were much better to travel compared to ST buses.

I would agree with F50 on this one. I feel that "Volvo" is only being used to indicate a certain class of buses and not really the particular make like the way we generally use the term Xerox for all photo copiers.

[F50]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

All cost the same, whereas in reality Cerita is 20 lacs cheaper and should cost at least RS 50/- lesser. All Neeta AC buses charge 300/- from Aundh to Dadar.

MSRTC has a negligible quantity of Mercs and Ceritas. Majority of them are Volvos

Greyhound and Peter Pan operate together. I was actually booked on Greyhound to Boston. GHs are much better in terms of quality of the bus compared to Peter Pan. But while waiting at the bus station, a Peter Pan pulled up. Didn't enjoy my bus ride.

Similarly, while traveling to Auckland, Singapore Airlines had a Boeing flight. But last minute changes, it was an Airbus. Personally, I would pick Boeings any day.

But can't complain in either cases.

[Newpunter]

I remember when I booked my ticket from Delhi to Manali on a Volvo, the operator called me on the day of journey to inform that the Volvo had a breakdown and that they would be replacing it with another vehicle which was an A/C vehicle , but not a volvo. So yes, 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.
Going back to my previous story of that journey to Manali, we started at 5 PM in Delhi and reached Manali at 12:30 PM the next day. I'm pretty sure a Volvo would have taken much less time to reach there. I was told the right time was around 8:30 to 9 AM.

[kpzen]

Selling tickets with the name of Volvo is not ethically correct.

But, Whats wrong with HINO buses ?

Recently travelled in HINO buses for around 300kms and found it to be more comfortable and spacious than Volvo B7R and S8400.

[nozzlering]

scopriobharath, IMO, your complaint is a bit childish.
As a bus passenger, most of us would like to travel FAST, SAFELY and WITH COMFORT. Its not a race with sedans!!
As F50 rightly said the term VOLVO is indicative for new age buses, which are comfortable, fast, and safer than other buses. We are talking of MUMBAI PUNE Expressway, which is in good condition. Travelling on a Volvo, or a Mercedes, or a Cerita would be more or less similar in terms of comfort. And all these buses generally have economy class seats. No difference seat wise.
Yes, charging for a premium class bus and providing a lower segment bus is not acceptable. But asking only for Volvo and not Mercedes Benz is a bit childish to me.

By the way, Shivneri is at anytime better than other private operators. Particularly with Neeta, many complaints have been reported.
In Maharashtra, MSRTC is the best mode of public transport on road, be it Volvo, or Asiad, or red buses (laal dabba).

[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".I think such incidents can be taken to consumer court for cheating customers.I have not had this experience in bangalore or cochin.In kerala volvo is called volvo,Mercedes Benz as mercedes benz and then you have a/c sleeper,a/c semi sleeper,non-a/c sleeper,non-ac semi sleeper.

[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.

[Prithvi]

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[noopster]

I once picked up someone at the bus stop who declared that the Volvo she was travelling on was the best bus she'd ever traveled on. I pointed out with a grin that it was in fact a Mercedes and NOT a Volvo. The point is that "Volvo bus" has become synonymous with a high-end AC bus with superior suspension and capable of high speeds. Whether is it in fact literally a Volvo is irrelevant to most commuters, as long as it is fast, smooth and safe.

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

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

My Question is Why sell Hino / Cerita tickets as a volvo? When one pays through the nose for a Volvo, why should the customer be cheated? At the very least they can say AC Bus / Air Bus etc. Why use the name Volvo. In 2009, I was "pushed" to board a Certia from Vashi to Pune and when i told them its not a Volvo, almost every staff attached to Neeta travels were telling me its a Volvo . I stood my ground and told them its a Cerita and i will travel by Volvo B7R/B9R only.
I Personally prefer Volvo over other players for the following reasons.

• Most Comfortable compared to other manufacturers.
• Engine is less loud compared to others.

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.