[TKMCE]

I had to go to Chennai for a day from Aluva. The return was to be on the same evening on the day I reach Chennai. No one here in this forum had any response for my request for information but another new web site did have a few guys responding with some good feed back. My trusted travel agent also seemed to agree on which operator would suit my requirements and so SRM it was, on their Tiruvalla Chennai Volvo Multi Axle . Aluva Chennai was on a Wednesday and the return on the day after. Since I could book tickets only on Tuesday night I asked the agent (Zam Zam travels) whether they could book my return as well. They had no issues. Aluva Chennai was on their "agency quota" and for the return they used the SRM website but issued me a paper (Zam Zam travels) ticket. However I got an SMS directly from SRM the moment the booking was made.


Aluva Chennai

This bus is scheduled to leave at 1830 from Aluva and is very rarely late, hence reached by 1815 . However there was no sign of the bus even till 1900The agent checked with the SRM office and was told that the bus had left Vytilla only by 1820. Finally the bus turned up at 1915 and left almost immediately with four of us boarding from Aluva. A movie (fairly recent) was being played. The dinner stop was after Angamaly (Hotel Richus I think) and it lasted about half an hour. After Aluva, there were pickups at Angamaly, Chalakudy and inside Trichur town but there was only one pick up at each of these places, unlike some other operators like Suresh Kallada which appears to have boarding points in literally every street corner (I know they have 4 - if not 5 - in Aluva itself).

At around 9 PM, after the first part of the movie got over, the TV was switched off. The movie was interesting and atleast a couple of passengers were requesting for the second part to be played, but this was refused. Well.. if the objective was for passengers to have a comfortable sleep, then it did not help, because right till Walayar, the driver and cleaner were talking in a loud voice, co-ordinating the pick ups and discussing the merits of Agent A over Agent B. In addition their Coimbatore office was calling the driver every 3 minutes wanting to know details about vacant seats and the drivers mobile has a ring tone which was both loud and annoying. I was seated in the second row window seat behind the driver and his loud voice and the even louder ringtone of his mobile kept me awake till about 11PM. The driver was an oldish guy from Kerala. Did not notice the second driver , I think he took over after Walayar. The driving was safe and never rash.

Despite the one hour delay the bus finally reached only half an hour after the "promised" time of 7 PM at Koyambedu. Bus was well maintained and clean blankets and half litre water bottle were provided. Crew were very polite.

Chennai Aluva

I boarded from the starting point, the SRM terminus at Koyambedu which is miles better than the dump called Omni Bus Terminus from where most operators start. There was a big waiting area with two TVs showing IPL Matches, fairly clean toilets and announcements for boarding the bus (mostly in Tamil but for Kerala services they had an English announcement as well). Bus started on time at 7PM with a young Malayali driver at the wheels He was a little impatient with people boarding at intermediate stops, asking them to hurry up, at times rudely , as if he was competing for the most punctual service of the year award!!!He drove fast but with good control. A Malayalam movie was again played, till the end this time but the choice of movie was not great. Luckily no young kids at all on the bus. The driver was a man if few words fortunately unlike his colleague who took over after the dinner break which got over at 10.30 PM. Bus was full.

Wake Up call for all passengers irrespective of destination was done by the cleaner when he shouted out Palakkad at the top of his voice at around 5 AM. Finally was dropped off at Aluva by 6.50 AM. The person in the adjacent seat was going to Changanacherry and he was saying that he has reached as early as 6 AM at his destination but now SRM has replaced the Tamil drivers (many of whom were apparently rash) on this route with Malayali guys who are a little more responsible.


In the end 12 hours for Aluva to Chennai is more than acceptable for me and I will niot hesitate to take this service again. Lots of women travelling alone and also a lot of regular passengers. I would recommend this service for a safe and reliable journey. Don't know if SRM is still notorious for crazy driving, but atleast in this route driving was extremely responsible both ways.

[binaiks]

Made a quick run to Coimbatore and back last weekend.

For the outbound, I had booked on Conti Travels - wanted to try their Volvo Asia Bus. The ticket was booked online (through Abhibus.com). I reached Madiwala by around 2200hrs for the 2300hrs departure (Getting an auto from my area is quite difficult post 8pm - so left early from home). Conti Travels has a small office in Madiwala (near SRS Travels) - headed straight to that office and he confirmed that the bus would come in by 2300hrs. Roamed around a bit, and then headed to the office to wait.

The clock ticked past 2300hrs, but no sign of the bus. At around 2315hrs, an old Isuzu of Conti came in - I thought it might be a special service (Conti often runs their Isuzu buses as specials during weekends) - much to my shock, the guy at the office announced it as the "11pm Vaalvo". I asked the drivers about the replacement - and they replied that the Volvo went for service and did not return back in time for the trip and hence the Isuzu was sent - I was happy for one fact that the Isuzu has lesser seats and hence would offer better leg-space. I heard from another passenger that they had infact merged their Non-ac service with this one!! So they sent passengers of two buses in this 36 seater bus!! Looks like Conti is performing badly after the management changed.

Finally we got moving at 2324hrs - 24 minutes late. They gave one 500ml bottle of water and a good blanket. I slipped off to sleep even before we passed Electronic City (the bus did not take the flyover). I woke up when the bus stopped at Hosur (0005hrs) - the spare driver (sitting two rows behind me) was now talking to a passenger about the tense situation in Erode region (related to a political arrest) - one passenger wanted to get off at Sathymangalam (Conti buses normally go via Chithode-Gobi-Sathy-Annur, and not via Avinashi) - so the driver said they'll take a call depending on the situation.

I dozed off soon - woke up when the bus stopped for a break at Hotel Rajabhojanam, near Thoppur (0210hrs to 0222hrs). I slept soon after we passed Thoppur toll. Had a really nice sleep - I had two seats at my disposal and hence made good use of the opportunity - the blanket was fairly big as well. I woke up just as the bus stopped at Sathyamangalam (0457hrs). The bus stopped for diesel somewhere near Saravanampatty (0648hrs to 0657hrs). I was finally dropped off outside Coimbatore Omni Bus Stand at 0704hrs. A good 7h40m to cover about 385kms!! The ride quality was good - for a 4 year old 5.66lakh kms run bus. The engine appeared to struggle to get off from start though. Maintenance was average - lots of rattles, ORVM was missing and so on. Conti is a good, no-nonsense, cheap option for the route.

Return journey was in pieces - Coimbatore to Mysore by KaSRTC Airavat (reserved) and Mysore to Bangalore by some other bus.

I had booked in the 1614CBTMYS Airavat Schedule much in advance - for some reason all the regular Coimbatore-Bangalore buses were sold out well in advance (including day services). The particular bus I had booked actually runs between Coimbatore and Mangalore, but the reservation system shows it as a "Split Schedule". I was boarding from the SETC Bus Station in Gandhipuram. The bus came in on time (around 1545hrs itself) from their parking on Mettupalayam Road. Departure was slightly delayed, and we left only at 1620hrs. Driving was typical KaSRTC style - no over-speed, less honking and absolutely no rash driving. We had pickups at Annur and Sathy. The crew picked up some local tickets from Gandhipuram itself. The bus stopped for food at an awful place in Hassanur ("TNSTC Jeeva Hotel"). The break was from 1853 to 1911. The bus finally pulled into Mysore BS at 2125hrs - a good 50 minutes before time (The scheduled arrival was only 2215hrs!!).

Then started my ordeal. There was not a single Airavat to Bangalore from 2130hrs! I kept waiting and waiting - No rajahamsas either. One Express each was leaving every 15-20 minutes, but all were packed. At around 2240hrs, a "Vaibhav" turned up - left with no option, I grabbed a seat. The bus finally left at 2305hrs - almost full. The fare was Rs. 140 (For 135kms as mentioned on the ticket) - the running time announced was 3 hours. I napped for most part of the journey - we stopped for a tea break somewhere near Maddur. I had a nice sleep after that - woke up just as the conductor announced "Last Stop" - we were entering Satellite BS at that time - it was 0220hrs - a good 3h15m to cover 135kms, most of which was nonstop except the tea break part!! Wonder how did the driver manage to be so slow despite getting an almost empty road!

The Airavat experience was too good, and Vaibhav lost all the steam.

[DWind]

Originally Posted by binaiks

The bus stopped for food at an awful place in Hassanur ("TNSTC Jeeva Hotel"). The break was from 1853 to 1911.

Are there any better places on this route now? I used to travel on this route 6 years back and inevitably all buses used to stop only at Hassanur for dinner break for lack of better places to eat. In fact, some of my colleagues were looking up to this place when travelling from Mysore so as to have the sambhar (served with Roast - Dosa) when compared to slightly sweeter concoction in Mysore.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by binaiks

Then started my ordeal. There was not a single Airavat to Bangalore from 2130hrs! I kept waiting and waiting - No rajahamsas either. One Express each was leaving every 15-20 minutes, but all were packed.

The last Airavath leaves Mysore at 2030 (IIRC), I was told. This was sometime back though. Even I have traveled from Mysore to Bangalore around 2100 hrs a few times over the past 2-3 years. There used to be a few Sheetal services around that time. Are they still running?

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by DWind

Are there any better places on this route now? I used to travel on this route 6 years back and inevitably all buses used to stop only at Hassanur for dinner break for lack of better places to eat. In fact, some of my colleagues were looking up to this place when travelling from Mysore so as to have the sambhar (served with Roast - Dosa) when compared to slightly sweeter concoction in Mysore.

Don't tell me it is still the same and only place that looked half decent around here!? I last traveled through the area in 2006/7. I thought with the improving roads and better connectivity, things will get better, doesn't look like that is the case. Anyway, the roads around the area are wonderful - especially the TN side. Is the bus connectivity better or is it still 95% express buses between CBE- MYS?

[silversteed]

Travelled home in the KSRTC Garuda. Initially my intention was to travel in one of the KaSRTC Airavat Club Class services, but later I changed my plan and left early, as I wanted to try the Garuda, after a long long time. Reached the St.John's Hospital Junction bus stop at 17:10hrs, 10 minutes ahead of the scheduled arrival time.

17:34 Arrived at St.John's Hospital Junction bus stop
17:37 Got moving, with 6 passengers on board
18:00 Electronic City bus stop. 2 more passengers boarded. Total 8 pax (one was a single lady), 2 drivers and conductor
18:23 Zuzuwadi Check post
18:35 Hosur. Overtook an Airavat Bliss, bound to Chennai I guess
18:54 Shoolagiri
20:45 L&T Toll booth before Krishnagiri
20:50 Dinner break at Hotel Saravana Bhavan, Thoppur. A very small hotel
21:14 Back on the highway after the break
22:58 Kumarapalayam Toll booth
00:04 Passed PSG College, Peelamedu, Coimbatore
00:10 Gandhipuram bus stand. The bus was full when we got moving
00:35 Madukkarai
00:49 Walayar. A bit of congestion, but back to decent speeds in a couple of minutes
01:15 KSRTC Palakkad Depot.

The bus was RA101, a Volvo B7R warhorse. It was maintained well, except for some of the seat-back pockets. No rattles or squeaks, the engine noise was also minimal. No blankets, no water-bottle. The crew comprising a conductor and two drivers were friendly. The driving was never rash, but fast. Unlike most other vehicles, the bus stuck to the 80kmph speed limit on the BETL road. Except for one instance on the Krishnagiri-Dharmapuri stretch, there was no hard-braking ever. That was because of a broken down 3-wheeler parked on the fast lane in a right-hand curve.

Dinner break could've been at a better place, as I doubt if a family would be able to have dinner in that nondescript hotel.As expected, the only lady passenger in the bus chose not to get down.

There was very heavy traffic on the stretch between Hosur and Krishnagiri. The 6-laning work had caused a few bottlenecks, because the traffic was allowed only on a single lane either way. As and when the road conditions allowed, the bus was cruising at 100+ kmph. Just 4 hours from Thoppur to Palakkad is good timing.

On the whole, a good journey.

[a4anurag]

Had to do a urgent trip to Mumbai and back to Hyderabad.

Hyderabad to Mumbai - Kesineni Travels

Tickets were booked my by company costing Rs 1400 with the boarding point at BHEL at 19:00. I was informed about this trip at 15:00 hrs. My company and home are 56 kms far so rushed home, packed my luggage and started for the boarding point that is to be reached by passing the crowded areas of Hyderabad which is in peak traffic hours. Some how reached the boarding point at 18:50. Went to Kesineni office and asked them about the location for boarding, the guy said 'bus will come Saar and then we will inform you!' 19:20.. 19:35 and clock is ticking but no sign of the bus and the guys at the reception are busy playing solitaire on the computer. Patiently waited in the room and at 19:50 the bus arrives. I had 2 carton boxes with me so I was charged 100 per case so I had to pay Rs. 200 (This paying money for carrying cases is new to me so, is this normal?). Boarded the bus and left the point by 20:00. Driver was a nice guy greeting every passenger who was entering the bus. Pace maintained was good and fast to scare the passengers inside. Horn was hardly used in the whole trip (I was not sleepy so went and sat with the driver chatting with him). Speeds were between 100-120 kmph, all overtaking manoeuvres were done using the dipper which I find is a good practice. At 22:00, the bus stopped at a hotel near Zaheerabad for dinner, this stop was for 45 min. Here on the journey was smooth. At 05:20, we reached Pune and at two points a few passengers got down, rest were all in Mumbai. He took the Mumbai-Pune expressway and kept the pace at 100 kmph. 08:00, I was dropped off at my dropping point (Andheri). Overall a good journey, peaceful and happy.

Mumbai to Hyderabad - Orange Tours & Travels

Was going to choose VRL but thought of trying Orange as I had read many positive reviews about this operator and moreover his depot is just opposite my house. Booked using redBus website and fare was Rs 1200 with the boarding point of Chembur (Hotel Yogi) at 20:00. Reached the location at 19:40. History repeats again, 20:00.. 20:20 and no sign of the bus. All the shops of the travels were located at that area except Orange's. Got a bit tensed and started calling their Hyderabad number, busy. Tried contacting redBus and finally they gave a number that was of the Orange travels (Mumbai branch). This number was also busy. Tried around 40 times after which the call got through and there again was given another number which was of the driver. Called and asked about the location of bus at that point of time. He said "due to heavy traffic the bus is stuck at Sion and will be there any moment!" Was relieved listening to this. At 21:10 the bus arrives. Boarded and the bus left by 21:30 where blankets (washed, dry cleaned and packed), biscuit packets and a water bottle was distributed. Jolly LLB movies was being played and I had chosen the seat I4 (W). The speaker was just opposite to my head and had a loose contact in its wiring. Every small undulation on the road this speakers was shouting so went up to the driver and got the volume decreased. At 23:30, Hotel Taj at Pune was the halting point for dinner. At 00:30, the bus started for Hyderabad. I didn't realise the drive as I was tired and dozed off as soon as the movie ended. Got up at 07:00 where the bus had stopped as people had requested for natures call and this was at Zaheerabad. It entered the city at 08:00 and dropping off passengers slowly. At Nizampet two mini-vans came and took all the passengers who were to be dropped off at different parts of the city. The main bus then went to its depot (Jeedimetla Village) finally. This is where I stay and the last stop for this bus. I had another passenger who got down at the same point and he was saying "I always opt this operator for my trips as it near to my place with an excellent service!".Thanked the driver and assistant and got down from the bus where they proceeded further for filling up the bus with diesel.

Orange Tours & Travels is the operator I choose from now on.

A few observations:

1) Mileage was hovering between 6-10 kmpl at speeds between 80-100 kmph;

2) Odo Reading: 5.6 lakhs kms.

3) The RPM meter reads 0 - 30 (x100 rpm) - All the gear shifts were being done at 3000 rpm. Isn't this harmful to engine in long run? Only in B2B traffic gear changes were done at 1500 rpm. My question is if the engine is revved like this what could be the reliability expected (approx 6 lakhs covered already but still)? What is the average life of such engines?

Thank you reading the long post.

Cheers,
Anurag.

[coriollis]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Had to do a urgent trip to Mumbai and back to Hyderabad.

1) Mileage was hovering between 6-10 kmpl at speeds between 80-100 kmph

Hello,
Nice to see that you had a good trip. Was it a Volvo / Merc or an Ashley CRS .
Are you sure of the mileage figures or is it a typo?

The infamous KaSRTC (for lugging the engine) and VRL guys also achieve a maximum of 3.8 - 4 Kmpl with very very sedate driving.

On another note, I am also to travel to Hyderabad this month end. I am thinking of booking HKB. Any idea how are these guys? Bit skeptical, as they have stopped their Mumbai - Bangalore operations.

Cheers,
Abhijeet

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by coriollis

Hello,
Nice to see that you had a good trip. Was it a Volvo / Merc or an Ashley CRS .
Are you sure of the mileage figures or is it a typo?

I always choose a Volvo 2+2 semi-sleeper multi axle. If its a journey to be done by bus then its a Volvo Multi Axle! I am very much sure about the mileage that I have typed in my post. The engine was revving at 1400 rpm @ 80 kmph in 6th gear. I went to the drivers area mainly for seeing the mileage and speeds it does effortlessly.

Originally Posted by coriollis

On another note, I am also to travel to Hyderabad this month end. I am thinking of booking HKB. Any idea how are these guys? Bit skeptical, as they have stopped their Mumbai - Bangalore operations.

Not many reviews heard but HKB are good. I feel Orange is a good bet. Comfortable journey, well maintained bus and interiors, courteous staff and on-time service (except for a few times).

Cheers,
Anurag.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by coriollis

Are you sure of the mileage figures or is it a typo?

The infamous KaSRTC (for lugging the engine) and VRL guys also achieve a maximum of 3.8 - 4 Kmpl with very very sedate driving.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

I am very much sure about the mileage that I have typed in my post. The engine was revving at 1400 rpm @ 80 kmph in 6th gear. I went to the drivers area mainly for seeing the mileage and speeds it does effortlessly.

The mileage that's displayed by the MID is the instantaneous mileage. The actual mileage will never be close to these figures. Hope I need not explain why

[bisasa]

I travelled Orange from Mumbai to Hyderabad a couple of days back. They sent 3 sms before the bus reached my pick up point at Vile Parle. It gave the update about the location of the bus and also a link to see live tracking. The link worked well till I reached Hyderabad. The bus reached 5 minutest late. Dry cleaned perfumed sealed blankets, water bottle and biscuit packet was provided. Mine was the last row window seat.
Good things.
1. Location tracking
2. clean bus
3. punctuality

My suggestion is never to book the last row window seat if possible in a volvo. It does not recline much And the engine heats up the seat.

[srikant]

I am looking to travel to Cochin on 17th May and most of the seats on Kallada my regular service is booked only last rows available. Just came across this JRS Tech travels (Multi-axle Volvo with 1+1+1 semi sleeper) on Redbus, which i have never heard of, could somebody guide me if that is a good option? My basic requirement is to reach Aluva by 6-6.30 am. Timings given on Redbus is departure at 8.30pm and Reaching Cochin by 6.00am.

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by srikant

I am looking to travel to Cochin on 17th May and most of the seats on Kallada my regular service is booked only last rows available. Just came across this JRS Tech travels (Multi-axle Volvo with 1+1+1 semi sleeper) on Redbus, which i have never heard of, could somebody guide me if that is a good option? My basic requirement is to reach Aluva by 6-6.30 am. Timings given on Redbus is departure at 8.30pm and Reaching Cochin by 6.00am.

JRS Tech is a Bangalore based operator. They normally operate on the Bangalore-Chennai route. This seems to be a special service. The bus is ex-Greenline - it a well maintained 1+1+1 seater. Being a special service, reaching Aluva by 6~6.30 might be a bit tight, since the bus has to stop at Walayar for paying taxes, and it often eats a lot of time. But there are situations where even special buses reach on time.

[balajird]

I traveled from Hyderabad to Chennai on 4th May (Saturday) 9 PM Kesineni Volvo with my family including a 5 year and 2 year old kids. Unfortunately, due to the last minute booking (tatkal train tickets vanished within 10 minutes before I could grab it), I got the last but one row seats.

I was seated on the left side row seats which had a good push back lean angle, the right side row where my wife and in-law was sitting probably had 60% of it. The good thing is that we boarded the bus right at Chandanagar (no van pickup ) but the good feel didnt last long, due to the bad roads, there was too much of jerks / bumps and tossing causing problems. But after around 4 AM, the roads were better and I was able to sleep for couple of hours.

Overall, the positives;
1. Driver was good, no too much honking
2. On time, no undue delays

the negatives;
1. Choice of seat (I usually prefer the first row, but didnt get this time)
2. Pathetic location for nature calls (the ladies suffered the most)


I came back to Hyderabad on 7th May through Orange travels, being my first journey with Orange, I was excited to experience it as I heard positive comments. I also managed to get first row left side seat expecting ample leg room. But the fate would be, the leg room was pathetic and was cramped. The bus was supposed to start from Koyambedu at 8 PM but started only around 8:50 PM. The staff were courteous and gave a 1/2 litre water bottle and a small goodday biscuit packet, the blanket was clean and neatly packed in a polythene bag.

The driver(s) were not that good and I dont think they are professionally trained by Volvo or has respect to this big machine. The first one (looks like a trainee) was lugging the engine big time and whenever it was lugging it created a big vibration for about 10 seconds that was unbearable for me, he was honking at everything and nothing and was driving until 10:30 PM when the dinner break was taken. The second driver was in proper professional uniform and I thought he will give us a peaceful journey, but on the contrary, he was plowing his way through the night truck traffic by dipping the lights (flick flick flick) and occasional horn blasts, it was wavy ride and I was not able to find a comfortable position to sleep and add to it the lack of leg room, I was literally restless.

At around 4 AM, this "professional" stopped the bus somewhere and woke the "trainee" and the "assistant" to drive the bus from there, the trainee slowly started the bus with the assistant guiding him was blasting the horns through the morning traffic and finally reached Lakdikapool around 7:45 AM, not bad considering the running time but the sleep has gone for a toss.

Positives for Orange travels;
1. Shorter duration of travel
2. Water bottle and snacks - NICE
3. Clean blanket

Negatives for Orange travels;
1. Bumpy and aggressive driving - tosses the passengers inside
2. Too much use of Horns
3. Most importantly lack of leg room on the first row seat

Personally, I would prefer Dhananjaya / Kesineni over Orange travels if I need to travel to Chennai.

Hope this information helps.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by balajird

Positives for Orange travels;
1. Shorter duration of travel
2. Water bottle and snacks - NICE
3. Clean blanket

Negatives for Orange travels;
1. Bumpy and aggressive driving - tosses the passengers inside
2. Too much use of Horns
3. Most importantly lack of leg room on the first row seat

Personally, I would prefer Dhananjaya / Kesineni over Orange travels if I need to travel to Chennai.

Thanks for the information. I also will be travelling to Chennai and back to Hyderabad on 21st if this month. Planning to book Kesineni from Hyderabad to Chennai and Orange Tours & Travels from Chennai to Hyderabad.

Want to see if there is any difference between these two operators. Orange Tours have their yard opposite my house so dropping will not be an issue and it is the last stop.

Cheers,
Anurag.