Team-BHP - Intercity Bus travel reviews

Of this is true then its one of the best news. Speed locked from the factory will ensure that these maniac drivers will no longer think that they are the bullies on the roads. Very recently while returning from Mysore , a Neeta Volvo multi axle tailgated me at 100 kmph to make me give him space by going faster because the right most lane was hogged my a series of trucks! I am sure there would have been no time for him to react if I had braked for some reason

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Originally Posted by binaiks (Post 3295152)

It seems their workshops have received orders to reprogram the ECUs to set the speed limit at 90kmph. Yesterday, I came came to know from a few agencies that a lot of Volvos had headed to Lathangi (Volvo workshop in Bangalore) for setting speed locks. It seems RTOs have began insisting on a "Lock" certificate from the dealer confirming the limit set.

But how is it going to help. A tired driver dozing at 90kph is still the same scenario as these 2 buses. We don't need speed governors. We need regulations on crew working hours , strict laws on transporting cargo in buses and more safety features like full size doors atleast.

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Originally Posted by speedsatya (Post 3295268)

But how is it going to help. ?

This is not about how this step alone will help; this is about a small step taken in the right direction. Wearing a helmet alone does not guarantee a two wheeler rider's life, but that doesn't mean that we don't enforce helmet usage.

Volvo, the company has come up with this initiative and not the Government. However it is a different ball game to ensure things like maximum working hours for crew, better working conditions etc.

It is a cultural change that is required, a sense of responsibility should be instilled in the fleet owners. The drivers also should help themselves in some situations by not driving like maniacs. A bus can kill a person even at 45 kmph; so its not the speed alone that matters.

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Originally Posted by Ashley2 (Post 3293928)

Thanks for clarifications. But I would largely say emergency exits need not be compromised for additional seats. They can be done with the same seating layout. But why this was omitted was Volvo was not offering this as a standard fitment rather than optional and started to charge for it. same way omission of driver side door. They made it as a option to save some money. Though this largely rests with the operators, Volvo has a larger role to play in ensuring safety and cant be given as a option to people.
For a sticker price of 1cr Volvo should stardardise emergency exit door on RHS, rear, driver door. They cant leave it to operators to save money on this. If Volvo could do this, they will set an example for other manufacturers and claim to be the safest wheel on road.

I think we are getting confused with Volvo cars and Volvo Commercial Vehicles. Yes, Volvo cars are considered to be pioneers in safety and they have taken a pledge that nobody would die in a Volvo car after 2020, but I think their commercial vehicles do not toe that line, there is no material available to say that its the same policy for Cars and Commercial vehicles as far as I know.

Volvo has just like any-other commercial organisation, thrown all caution to the winds and gone for cost reduction on their busses. When the body building part was with Azad, poor guys, used to follow the rule book and meet stringent specifications, now with everything happening in-house, Volvo has fiber-glassed the entire bus, its make the whole Bus inflammable.

I know of a class-mate who used to work in a fiber-glass production unit. He used to tell me stories about how they used to dispose off waste pieces of fiber-glass, burn it in the back-yard when no-one is looking, it threw up a lot of thick black smoke and burned furiously, melting and spreading around. That is exactly what happened to the bus, it was the smoke that knocked most People out

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Originally Posted by TheARUN (Post 3295370)

A trivia -- Volvo cars and Volvo Bus is not the same company but for the name - Volvo cars was part of Ford Group since 1999 and guess what - now is owned by a Chinese company.

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Originally Posted by autotranny (Post 3295124)

VOLVO India has announced that all its buses will be now Factory Speed Locked at 90 kmph starting from next week. This was announced by one of the operators from next week. I'm awaiting more details though ; is this only for new roll-outs or will the existing buses be also locked at Service Centers from next week.

Why just the Volvos? Speed locking should be done across the board and not limited just to the Volvos.

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Originally Posted by wanderlust09 (Post 3295514)

Why just the Volvos? Speed locking should be done across the board and not limited just to the Volvos.

I completely agree. For all public transport and goods transport vehicles even if they are operated by private operators.

Enforcement of a maximum 90kmph speed limit coupled with rigid enforcement of lane discipline will influence a significant improvement in our abysmal road safety track record statistics.

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Originally Posted by shankar.balan (Post 3295631)

Enforcement of a maximum 90kmph speed limit coupled with rigid enforcement of lane discipline will influence a significant improvement in our abysmal road safety track record statistics.

Agree with all this plus add a few more

1. Better road surfaces with preferably 4 laned highways.
2. No corrupt officers. No buses without proper permits.
3. Operators with moral responsibility i.e. no smuggled goods, no excess passengers.

It will be a dream come true.

Did a highway run today and surprise surprise, all the Multi-axles were speed locked! I could not believe my eyes, was passing them with ease. I think this is going to do more harm than good, an I-shift speed locked will put the driver to sleep, atleast when they were speeding, the Drivers were as attentive as playing a video game on a giant screen

Also, the busses have new stickering, 'Emergency Exit' was plastered all over, the Operators have gone for the easier way, they have named windows emergency exits, they cannot be exits, they are the last resort, when even the emergency exits don't work!

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Originally Posted by shankar.balan

How can we blame public transport and goods transport alone here? What about cars most of us drive?

Have a look on Mysore Road, Tumkur Road, Hosur Road, Kanakpura Road etc on a busy weekend. Almost every cars are driven rash, cut across lanes, hard braking and what not. Many of them go on a race pushing others off the road like in a video game.

How many of us will agree on a speed governor for cars as well? Can't the authorities allocate a time between two toll booths and fine vehicles after compiling data from booth server?

I'm thinking this way after seeing many friends install Android applications for camera warnings on Kerala highways which works really well. They just slow on cameras and push again. We follow rules only when someone is watching!

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Originally Posted by autotranny

Hi all,

Need some travel advice. I'm reaching Coimbatore airport at around 10.am on Saturday. What is the best way to travel to Thrissur. Im travelling alone so taxi will be pretty expensive at Rs 3000/-. Should I take the KSRTC or are there any private buses/Volvos available at around 11-12 ?

Private operators are available till 11.30pm IIRC. Check City, No.1 etc

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Originally Posted by autotranny (Post 3296254)

Take a bus to Gandhipuram from the Airport. There is a KSRTC Super Express to Ernakulam, at 11.30 am- it takes the Thrissur bypass though. Another option would be to take the Intercity express from Coimbatore Railway Station at 1.10 pm, it takes just 2 hours 15 minutes to reach Thrissur. The private operators from Coimbatore(Supaa/A1) depart only by around 1.30 pm-2.30 pm.

If you are out of the airport well in time, the best option would be to take the first bus from Gandhipuram to Palakkad, and switch over to a bus to Thrissur over there.

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Originally Posted by wanderlust09

If its Ksrtc, better go to Ukkadam bus stand as its faster and majority of the services to Palakkad starts from there.

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Originally Posted by binaiks (Post 3265108)

There is a bus every hour or so (not fixed intervals). You may contact KSRTC Ernakulam bus station for further details - 0484-2376233.

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Originally Posted by TKMCE (Post 3266016)

Almost all these buses take the Ernakulam - Aluva-Perumbavoor-Kothamangalam-Adimaly route.

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Originally Posted by deepclutch (Post 3266175)

super Express buses services are available from Kothamangalam to Munnar. these are buses coming from MC road route. I think, it is Trivandrum-Munnar, Trivandrum-Mattupetti buses.

Looks like my travel plan might undergo a small change and I will spend the night at Guruvayur and proceed to Munnar from thereon. Are there any direct buses (in the morning) from Guruvayur or Thrissur to Munnar? I would like to reach Munnar by noon. Tried calling the KeSRTC Thrissur number listed on their website but no there's no one answering the phone. Or, should I take a bus from Guruvayur to Aluva / Perumbavoor and change from there, as most buses from Kochi will proceed on this route?

Thanks in advance again.