[naga.sid]

I was traveling on the Hassan Bangalore highway when I spotted this bus at an eatery.

No brand name anywhere. Was in absolutely brand new condition.

This seemed to be a double decker with no windows at ground level except that of the driver. The first floor had some kind of a balcony.

Have clicked a few pics of the cockpit. As you can see there were quite a few curious onlookers.

Apologies for the poor quality of images.

Best regards
Naga Sid
PS: hoping this is a scoop of some kind!

[TheARUN]

Great find, looks like a Chineese bus on test here. The bottom half must be the luggage hold. Two things I noticed, passengers will be lazy to climb up so many stairs to get to their seats and the Driver will feel down on his ego since he is now forced to sit at car driver height

[phamilyman]

Don't know about chinese but such buses are common in Malaysia and are often of international makes like MAN/Scania etc (e.g http://smg.photobucket.com/user/supe...sland.jpg.html) and are well regarded except on hill routes.

Its about time we got such buses in India - I like them a lot

[naga.sid]

Actually, TheARUN, the security guard at the restaurant made a mention that it was built in China. It didn't make sense to me at that time. After all, who would build a bus in China and import it?

Thanks phamilyman. This bus actually had something of a printer as well. Can't imagine the driver printing tickets. That concept flopped in Pushpak buses in Bangalore.

[Ashley2]

This coach is imported from China and is currently undergoing testing in India. The same coach was displayed in 2013 bus world at Mumbai by Deccan Auto, which is planning to build these coaches under technical tie up with Zhong Tong, a Chinese Govt ancillary. I remember this coach was named Navigator.

[callvvijay]

Its so awesome to see.

But, going by the number of volvo-crashes that we see these days, I am also looking at the negative side of these buses. You have also mentioned that there are no windows anywhere in the bus. Obviously, there would be emergency exits provided - but still..

[sadsack]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

This coach is imported from China and is currently undergoing testing in India. The same coach was displayed in 2013 bus world at Mumbai by Deccan Auto, which is planning to build these coaches under technical tie up with Zhong Tong, a Chinese Govt ancillary. I remember this coach was named Navigator.

You had once reported that Deccan Auto Works of Hyderabad was trying to build a bus. Is Deccan Auto the same one at Hyderabad? If it is I am a bit surprised that it is being tested in Karnataka with KA test plates. Could you throw some more light upon this please. Will appreciate that very much. Thanks in advance.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

This coach is imported from China and is currently undergoing testing in India. The same coach was displayed in 2013 bus world at Mumbai by Deccan Auto, which is planning to build these coaches under technical tie up with Zhong Tong, a Chinese Govt ancillary. I remember this coach was named Navigator.

Spot on... It is a Zhong Tong Navigator. Thanks. Was searching chinese bus manufacturers yesterday since this bus looked interesting. But will this 1.5 deck concept work in India?

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Spot on... It is a Zhong Tong Navigator. Thanks. Was searching chinese bus manufacturers yesterday since this bus looked interesting. But will this 1.5 deck concept work in India?

Thanks for providing the company info and a new photograph.
As long as it it
- Value for Money, with respect to more seats or space & Running costs.
- Is as reliable as others.
It shouldn't be a problem for our operators accepting these new products.

Anyways, our people have the best companies to test these products First The government Transport companies like KSRTC, APSRTC, etc
The Government companies buy/try (if they receive any compliments) these products, Depending on their Feedback, the private operators take a decision.

[rpads1]

From what I can see , its similar to a volvo with 4 extra seats above the driver. They seem to have maintained all the seats at same level all through instead of tapering lower down to driver level in the front and then they added those four extra seats on top of the driver. Better usage of space to gain four premium view , seats I would say.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

Looks probably like a Scania make bus. Good be wrong though.

This is a similar Scania offering:


Image source

Marcopolo Paradiso G7 1600 body on a Scania K420 chassis. The body can be called the elder brother of the Paradiso G7 1200 coach showcased by Tata Motors, built on their LPO2138RE chassis

I'm wondering why the private operators aren't opting for such a 1.5 deck body, because they earn most of their revenue by carrying goods in their Volvos, Mercs, Scanias etc on weekdays, and such a bus is a good option to carry more luggage.

[Ashley2]

Yes its the same company. They are likely to set up their shop in Telungana erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. But Im not sure why it's tested with KA registration plates.
This 1.5 deck perse doesn't qualify under CMVR. There is either single deck or double deck with overall height limited to 3.75m and 4.75m respectively. There is no room currently and so deccan have to lobby with CMVR to include 1.5 deck or scrap the project.
IMHO until otherwise there is economics of scale for operators 1.5 deck coaches may not be attractive for them. Moreover service network will be a big inflection point.

[dhanushmenon]

Wonderful find naga.sid.

However, wouldn't the occupants of the lower deck feel claustrophobic with no windows?
Ofcourse, I am sure the manufacturers would've thought of something on the bigger perspective before making such a design.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon

However, wouldn't the occupants of the lower deck feel claustrophobic with no windows?
Ofcourse, I am sure the manufacturers would've thought of something on the bigger perspective before making such a design.

This is not a double-decker bus. The lower portion is meant to be used as a cargo hold, and not as a passenger saloon, so there's no question of (legally) having occupants in the lower deck.

[Octane_Power]

The front 4 seats look tempting, with the view they would provide, but I would be the last one to travel in them without a seatbelt..

In case of an accident, those guys will go shooting out of the glass.
And also, taking into consideration our Indian bus drivers' habits, if they do not take into consideration the higher centre of gravity, we will see many of these getting toppled just a few days from getting launched.

-Bhargav