[binaiks]

Originally Posted by TKMCE

1 Any one aware of the early morning bus timing from Chalakudi to Valparai? Is this a KeSRTC one or a private and if a private one where does it start from in Chalakudi??? Also what is the journey time??? I believe there are lot of buses from Valparai to Pollachi with a frequency of every 30 minutes??

There are two private, one one govt bus in the route (Chalakkudi-Valparai). There are no direct KeSRTC buses, but there is a TNSTC bus from Chalakkudi to Pollachi (it leaves Chalakkudy at around 1.30~2pm. That bus, according to its schedule, reaches Pollachi around 6~6.30pm.

I think the privates go only upto Valparai - one goes in the morning, and one in the afternoon. Not sure of the exact timings though.

There are KeSRTC buses that go upto Malakkappara CP, and there are TNSTC buses from Malakkapara CP to Valparai as well - but again, I don't have the timings of the TNSTC service. The KeSRTC bus is at 5pm in the evening. So I guess your option is the TNSTC bus from CLDY to Pollachi. I am not sure of Pollachi-Thrissur buses, but Pollachi-Palakkad is quite frequent.

[dhandapanik]

Originally Posted by TKMCE

From Aluva I plan to do Chalakkudi-Pollachi (via Sholayar) then from Pollachi to Trichur (I believe there is a direct route without touching either Coimbatore or Palakkad) and back home to Aluva. Main intention is doing the Chalakudi Valparai trip and am not planning to break journey at Valparai and hence am prepared for a very long day trip.


1 Any one aware of the early morning bus timing from Chalakudi to Valparai? Is this a KeSRTC one or a private and if a private one where does it start from in Chalakudi??? Also what is the journey time??? I believe there are lot of buses from Valparai to Pollachi with a frequency of every 30 minutes??

There are two buses running in Chalakudi-Valparai via Sholayar. One is from a private operator and the other is by TNSTC-Coimbatore(Valparai depot).

Private bus from Chalakudi to Valparai starts some where between 1:00 to 1:30 PM. TNSTC-Coimbatore's service starts somewhere between 1:30 to 2:15 PM. Earlier TNSTC service was running as Chalakudi-Pollachi. I heard that they are stopping the service at Valparai itself. You can confirm the same from the crews. Frequency in Valparai-Pollachi route is <30 minutes during week days and during weekends the frequency will be more.

Originally Posted by TKMCE

2 Assuming that I reach Pollachi bus stand by around 6 PM are there late evening buses from Pollachi to Trichur/Ernakulam??? I understand these buses go via Nenmara/Wadakkanchery?? How long is the journey time from Pollachi to Trichur????

Pollachi-Trichur frequency got increased a lot in the past few years. KeSRTC has more services in this route and there are couple of private buses too. There could be a bus for every 30 minutes. And after 8:30 PM or 9:00 PM, you may not get buses properly. Catch the trichur buses which goes via Govindapuram, Nemmara, Vadakkancherry. Some private buses take a different route and running time is more in those routes. Till vadakkancherry, the road will be good and after that you will know the state. If there are no buses, then you can think about going via Palakkad route.

Its raining heavily in Valparai areas. So they used to stop the bus services during this time. So its better to try this route after couple of weeks.

[TKMCE]

Thank You binaiks and dhandapanik for your helpful replies. For my trip to be effectve since I do not want to do an overnight trip, I have to do the Chalakudi Valparai Pollachi stretch in the morning. Earlier there used to be a morning private bus which used to leave Chalakudi at 6-6.30 AM and reach Valparai by noon. Any idea whether this service is still operational???

I have not done the Valparai Pollachi stretch as well, so only a morning start will make sense . Now that there is a new route via Ezhattumugham from Ernakulam/Alwaye which turns off the NH-47 just after Angamaly and joins the Sholayar route before Athirapally, so I have seen buses from Aluva to Malakkappara Check Post onthe border as well, Again the bus I have seen was in the late afternnon but if there is a morning bus from either Aluva or Angamaly, it gives me another option to do the day trip in case there are no direct buses from Chalakudi to Valparai in the morning. Are you aware of the frequency of the buses between Malakappara Check Post and Valparai???

If worst comes to worst, I can go directly to Chalakudi private bus stand and check . Guess it will also get me a current update on whether the buses are running . I will either do the trip next week or it will get pushed back by another 3-4 months but I am determined to do it. If I do it this time around, the next one planned is another scenic route, the Kumily Pathanamthiita route via Gavi which has KeSRTC buses running.

Thanks both of you for all the information given. Now planning the Chalakudi Valparai leg in the morning (if possible) is the only missing link for me.

[SirAlec]

My friend runs a Bus Service from Gujarat. Best part is I help it modernize. They have online booking option. He has 44 buses and runs daily services to many cities.

http://www.gujarattravels.co.in/

PS to Mod: Hope this does not feel like an endorsement. if it is please delete. @GTO @Rehaan

[TheARUN]

Originally Posted by SirAlec

My friend runs a Bus Service from Gujarat. Best part is I help it modernize. They have online booking option. He has 44 buses and runs daily services to many cities.

http://www.gujarattravels.co.in/

PS to Mod: Hope this does not feel like an endorsement. if it is please delete. @GTO @Rehaan

Sir, scariest part is the busses have only one door, for entry and exit. Yes there is emergency exit pasted on the windows, but they cannot be opened, they have to be broken! Imagine this, you use the emergency exit only in a crisis situation, and in that situation you are already at your wits end, expecting passengers/crew to find something that would break the windows made of toughened glass and bonded with sunscreen film is asking for too much

[TKMCE]

So is this (lack of exits) exclusive to Gujarat Travels?? In this thread itself to the best of my knowledge it is mentioned somewhere that the drivers door is "optional" for some Volvo models and many operators do not exercise the option.

Interesting information. This thread is mostly turning out to be predominatly south based although there are a lot of operators between Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Indeed if you live along the Western Express highway in the Mumbai suburbs you can see a lot of these buses round the clock. I believe many of the Udaipur bound buses start by around noon and unlike south a large number of them are seater cum sleepers. My observation is that due to the good train connections, the upper end travellers on the Maharashtra- Gujarat route prefer the trains and mostly it is the lower end traffic which prefers buses and the proportion of premium services (AC/Volvo/Merc) to the total number of services is much less compared to the south.

[venkyhere]

Originally Posted by TKMCE

My observation is that due to the good train connections, the upper end travellers on the Maharashtra- Gujarat route prefer the trains and mostly it is the lower end traffic which prefers buses and the proportion of premium services (AC/Volvo/Merc) to the total number of services is much less compared to the south.

..... and the 'reason' for it (few #trains in south, esp b/w bangalore-kerala) is pretty well known (and it is not the western ghats). The #trains between chennai-kerala is slightly better, which directly translates to fewer number of luxury buses between chennai-kerala. Southern railway is the highest income generating division for railways but is 'blessed' with fewer trains - thankfully many pvt operators have come to the 'rescue' of passengers, so all-eez-well.

[TKMCE]

Was traveling along the NH between Alwaye and Ernakulam yesterday (Friday) morning and saw a lot of Bangalore originating buses reaching very late. The Corona sleeper and one B9R passed Alwaye around 11 AM and after another half an hour a Rajahamasa passed through. The Grey Hound non AC service was passing Edappally only around 1230.
But the first Hyderabad bound B11R of Kallada was surprisingly on schedule
Is the delay because the buses which were getting delayed takes the Alathur route???

[TKMCE]

Travelled Angamaly Trivandrum and back to Alwaye on KeSRTC Super Fast services.

Angamaly Trivandrum was on a Sunday night. No reservations and it was pouring with rain from Sunday morning.

Reached Angamaly around 10.45 PM. Bus stand was well lit and not very crowded. In 10 minutes one Super Fast turned up but that was too crowded with no seats available , so gave it a miss. A lot of north bound buses turned up one after the other including an Express to Sultan Battery , a Super Fast operating on Trivandrum Mangalore route as well as a Kottarakkara Coimbatore Super Fast. There were also ordinary FPs to Thottilpalam and Vazhikadavu. Around 11.15 PM, the next Trivandrum bound Super Fast turned up and I just about managed to get the last seat available , a middle one on a three seater (these buses have a 2 x 3 non push back configuration). This bus of the Kannur Depot was operating a Kannur Trivandrum schedule and I expected it to go via Vytilla. However it took the conventional route via Palarivattom, Kaloor to the KeSRTC bus station at Ernakulam and then the Thevara, Thoppumpady EdaKochi route. About 8-10 people got down at Aluva and the bus went inside Aluva town but didn't enter the bus station, instead stopping outside.A lot of people got down between Aluva and Ernakulam and bus was almost half empty by the time it reached Ernakulam where it again filled up including a lot of people going to Trivandrum. The crew took just one 15 minute break , at Kayamkulam and after Kollam , a lot of people including to my surprise a few girls traveling alone were boarding at intermediate stops after Kollam all headed to Trivandrum. Bus took the Ulloor, Pattom, Palayam route and reached Trivandrum bus station at 5.15 AM,. 6 hours from Angamaly to Trivandrum was very creditable as it was raining heavily all the way. Also roads in the NH south from Angamaly are in fairly good condition for almost the entire stretch and I managed to grab some sleep after Ernakulam by where I had moved to a window seat on a 2 seater section. Fare was 175 Rs end to end. Saw a Low Floor Volvo to Ernakulam ready to leave at 5.30 AM and checked wren the next service was and was informed it is at 11.30 AM.


Return was the next day. Reached KeSRTC Bus station round 9.30 to see a Trichur Super Fast pulling in and an announcement that reservation coupons are available. Bought one since it was mentioned that the bus goes via Vytilla and was alloted seat no 11 , a window seat on the 2 seat section towards the front. The bus was of the Karunagapally depot and left at 9.55 AM The journey was totally forgettable and finally got down at Aluva byepass (bus does not go inside town) at 5.10 PM, 7 hours 15 minutes after leaving Trivandrum, painfully slow for a 240 km journey. However there were blocks of about 20 minutes just after Attingal and a 45 minute crawl between Kollam and Chavara, both due to the "Vavu" ceremonies happening on the day.

Dont be fooled by the "Via Vytilla bye pass" tag. There is not much time saving as these buses go inside Vytilla mobility Hub where to just get in and get out of the hub you waste about 20 minutes at signals alone, In addition I dont see much difference between an Ordinary and Super Fast service of KeSRTC in terms of number of stops. From Vytilla, the crew were stopping for literally every guy who hopefully stuck out his hand at enroute local bus stops, and there were about 8 stops between Vytilla and Alwaye , all for people getting in. I have no complaints about tis during the night journeys but between 3 P amd 6 PM there was no shorhtage of short distance buses or even long distance ordinary/FP buses(we overtook one Harippad Aluva ordinary on the same route just after Alleppy) and such stoppages make a mockery of the needs of long distance passengers. Considering that the bus took 20 minutes just get in and get out of the mobility hub and from where it left with all seats taken, again picking up standing pax from Vytilla junction onwards is again a classic case of driving away long distance passengers. The B11 R of Suresh Kallada (I guess the second serviice to Hyderabad) was parked at the Kallada office at Vytilla and overtook us on the way. Also at Kazhakkutam near Trivandrum, both the Parveen Services from Chennai (the Merc and the Snooze) as well as the G4 Bangalore Trivandrum service via Nagercoil were parked. Total fare Trivandrum to Alwaye was 165 but next time I guess I would either take the 5.30 AM or 11.30 AM low floor Volvos to Ernakulam and get down at Vytilla or MG Road and take a connecting bus which if nothing else will be more comfortable. However the night services are not a bad option from Angamaly or Aluva to Trivandrum and the roads are definitely not in a bad shape towards the southern part.

[ampere]

KSRTC now starts a Flybus service between BIAL (Bangalore Airport) to Mysore.

Check it out at their site:

http://www.ksrtc.in/site/

While browsing I also realised KSRTC has an android app of its own !

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...m.ksrtc.awatar

I have not used it myself. So no idea how good/bad the app is.

[julupani]

Originally Posted by ampere

KSRTC now starts a Flybus service between BIAL (Bangalore Airport) to Mysore.

Check it out at their site:

http://www.ksrtc.in/site/

While browsing I also realised KSRTC has an android app of its own !

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...m.ksrtc.awatar

I have not used it myself. So no idea how good/bad the app is.

Did you check the fare??

Its 990rs for a distance of 186km. I think this is a bit too excessive. They seem to ensure profit even if 10 people are on board each and every run.

If you have 3 people in a IndigoCS cab, and considering 7rs per km cab rate and that the cab charges you both ways between BIAL and Mysore, the per person cost will still be lower than 990rs.

[denver85]

Originally Posted by ampere

While browsing I also realised KSRTC has an android app of its own !

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...m.ksrtc.awatar

I have not used it myself. So no idea how good/bad the app is.

Not the best from my experience. No so user-friendly. It's very difficult to book a ticket through this. The Start and End point auto filling works rarely and it will be a pain to remember the exact spelling for all the places.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by julupani

Did you check the fare??

I did not check. But based on the advt. release that they issued, looks like the fare may be because of the service that they plan to offer.

Now its up to people to take it or leave it depending their choice. The service is there for take.

Consider this :

- An end to end Volvo fare for the farthest point in Bangalore to BIAL is about 300/-. Add may be another 300 for the Volvo service to Mysore.
- So over all with a better service, the proposed price may be worth it. (Again speculating from my side)

[sbkumar]

Originally Posted by julupani

Did you check the fare??

If you have 3 people in a IndigoCS cab, and considering 7rs per km cab rate and that the cab charges you both ways between BIAL and Mysore, the per person cost will still be lower than 990rs.

Originally Posted by ampere

Consider this :

- An end to end Volvo fare for the farthest point in Bangalore to BIAL is about 300/-. Add may be another 300 for the Volvo service to Mysore.
- So over all with a better service, the proposed price may be worth it. (Again speculating from my side)

I think the Volvo service is a major plus for those who travel alone. Even within Bangalore it works out cheaper if there are 2/3 + passengers to take a cab rather than the bus and also much more comfortable if you have luggage. But it's quite cost effective while coming back alone either from a trip or after seeing off someone. And the way the local cabbies drive on this route, buses are probably 10x safer !

[ampere]

Originally Posted by sbkumar

I think the Volvo service is a major plus for those who travel alone. Even within Bangalore it works out cheaper if there are 2/3 + passengers to take a cab rather than the bus and also much more comfortable if you have luggage. But it's quite cost effective while coming back alone either from a trip or after seeing off someone. And the way the local cabbies drive on this route, buses are probably 10x safer !

I only hope they are punctual. Esp given the fact if one is travelling from Mysore, hope the timing is spot. Else the service can be rendered quite in-effective.