[Ragavsr]

Srinagar-Leh journey in a rattled up JKSRTC bus on a rocky road. Fortunately there were a total of 4 passengers in the whole bus throughout the journey though the bus driver gave lifts to 4-5 locals in exchange for small amount of money.

The journey was a 20 hour long arduous journey with 4 hours break in Kargil for sleeping. We ended up sleeping in the bus. The bus was a rickety old Tata bus.

[vigsom]

Had to make an unscheduled trip to Calicut(Kozhikode) the day before yesterday and realised that both evening trains' charting was done.

I dreaded the thought of taking the arduous road journey back to the east coast by the State run buses ; then decided on the only alternative - the "Suresh" Kallada 5pm B9R Volvo to Chennai.

The bus was in excellent shape but the first leg to Palakkad was horrible - 4 hours through some winding roads. Some more bad stretches between Walayar and Coimbatore and all was well after that.

With several pick ups on the way right till Salem and three breaks for tea/refuelling , the journey took 14hrs 45 mins via Palakkad, Coimbatore, Salem, Pondicherry and ECR to Chennai.

A very good ride overall and strongly recommended for unplanned trips !!!!

[mazda4life]

Had an emergency travel to Mumbai, came back SRS Scania bus, a quick report
Boarded at 3 pm and the driver was on dot, very skillful driving and no emergency braking. The bus was pretty new but I am
not very happy on the space, guess Volvo buses are better for tallish people like self. Reached Bangalore on time 7:30 AM.

Scania bus is fine,no rattles or bumpy ride,was pretty smooth over the ghats and plains.

Next time if traveling by road , will stick to the 2 + 1 Volvo.

[ssambyal1980]

Have driven a number of times between Chandigarh and Delhi on NH1, but at times have preferred to travel by the Haryana Roadways Volvo bus service. The buses are multi axle, with air suspension, providing decent comfort levels. The buses departs on an hourly basis from the Sector-17 bus terminus, located in the heart of Chandigarh.

The one side fare from Chandigarh to Delhi is INR 520/- per person (as on 09/08/2015). Distance between ISBT Sector-17 Chandigarh to ISBT Kashmiri Gate Delhi is 261 kms and the journey is covered in about 5 hours time, mainly due to the heavy traffic conditions encountered just after entering Delhi and also due to the ongoing six laning of NH1, between Panipat and Ambala.

The in between refreshments stop is at Haryana Tourism's Oasis Tourist Complex at Karnal about 125 kms from Chandigarh.

Most of these buses go up till Indira Gandhi International Airport and then onwards to Gurgaon. The passengers bound for Delhi are dropped off opposite the Kashmiri Gate ISBT. Overall travel experience is okay.

[ssambyal1980]

During my past two trips to Bangalore, I have availed the services of KSRTC's Airavat bus service twice on the Bangalore-Chennai route, to and fro. The overall travel experience has been quite good.

The buses on this route are multi axle vehicles, with air suspension systems, thus offering decent comfort levels. The courteous and friendly behaviour of the staff (Driver & Conductor) was an icing on the cake.

Now that the KSRTC would procure buses with onboard black box, it would definitely go a long way in ensuring safe journeys. Would definitely recommend KSRTC Airavat class bus service for those travelling from Bangalore on intercity routes.

Here are the snapshots from one of my trip on KSRTC Airavat class from Chennai to Bangalore (Via Krishnagiri, Hosur).

At Chennai's Mofusil Bus Terminus (Koyembedu)






At a refreshment stopover near Krishnagiri.

[SchumiFan]

Recently shifted to Bangalore but with my parents staying in Chennai, some weekend trips are bound to happen.

Took the Hebron Transports' Scania Multi Axle on Friday. Got a message from them as early as 7 with the bus number. I decided to go early and use the time to read a book. But the crowd there made it impossible.

I was early by an hour and then got a message saying that the bus is delayed by 30 minutes. The bus arrived promptly at the said time and after a quick cleanup, left for Chennai at 12:20.

The bus itself is very new and white makes it look massive (it is massive as such but this color made it very apparent). No water bottle was given and shawl was already placed on the seat back.

The white/blue combo lights give the bus a very distinct look. The blue is too bright to be used as a night light. 5/6 seats were unoccupied even after the regular pickup at Bommanahalli/E.City. Hence more passengers were courted at Hosur and Krishnagiri as well which was annoying :(

Coming to the bus itself, the ride is as good as the Volvo but the engine noise is on the higher side (I loved it though). The driver was very good and stuck to 100kmph all through the journey. The bus masks the speed very well with even the engine sounding very relaxed at those speeds.

Started at 12:20 and reached CMBT at 5:20 with no stops in between. This works for me as I don't prefer stops for such a short duration.

Not switching off lights (Blue) till Hosur and not dropping the shades behind the driver/cleaner were the only negatives. Somehow I feel that KPN's buses have a bit more leg room. Maybe since they leave the last row for the driver to sleep whereas most others add another row of seat in them. Still it wasn't as bad as KSRTC Club Class I took the previous week operating through Chittoor.

Paid 620 (somehow it was showing only that much for this Friday especially considering the holiday next day), but heard the driver asking for 1100 to the passenger in Hosur/Krishnagiri.

Will definitely consider it for future trips as well since all the established players charge much higher amounts (900+) for this kind of buses. Boarding was at Madiwala near KPN/SRS offices.

[sandeep959]

This journey was undertaken on 18th July. I apologise for posting the story later.
KL 45 H 2784
My Ride from Chennai to Palakkad. It was SKallada's 10pm Non stop to Ernakulam. As usual Air India delayed the flight, and i landed at 930pm in Chennai Airport, thus missing the Chen-Kozhikode bus. The Perungalathur office chap was kind enough to adjust me in this bus. Timings were like 1125pm Perungalathur, 1145 SRM University, 1200pm First Toll, 0210am Ulundurpettai, 0400am Salem Byepass Tea Break, at 0515am 10 mins break at Perundurai for refueling (that is where this snap has been clicked), 0640am Gandhipuram and finally 0755am at Palakkad Byepass.
Nice driving, sedate, no honking, no harsh brakings.. I checked GPS for speed, top speed was 93Kmph. The KPN Sleeper Merc overtook us in a flash after Salem. Have SKallada reduced their speeds after spate of accidents??

[sinharishi]

Bus : KSRTC Airavat Club Class Mercedes-Benz.
Route : Bangalore to Hyderabad.
Date of Journey : 25th August 2015.
Fare : 980/-

9:20 PM : Boarded the bus from Ganganagar, 25 mins late as per the boarding time mentioned in the SMS.
10:30 PM : Dinner stop at Kamat Uphar.
6:30 AM : Hyderabad Interstate(?) Bus Terminal.

Was given a bottle of water and a blanket as soon as the bus left Bangalore. The first seat of the left row was reserved for the crew. Till Kamat Uphar the driver was speeding, racing with another Mercedz-Benz bus which belonged to Garuda, almost sandwiched a i20 just before the toll-gate. The engine noise was on the higher side, the AC made a lot of noise and the ride was bouncy. This was my first time on a Mercedez-Benz, would have preferred a Volvo.

[Rajeevraj]

Another fire accident involving kallada Volvo. The Hyderabad calicut service was gutted completely in a fire near Anantpur. Fortunately a passenger noticed sparks in time and hence everyone was able to get out. A link that I could find

http://www.eenaduindia.com/State/And...passengers.vpf

Last year their calicut Bangalore service was similarly destroyed in a fire.

[aroonanand]

Just completed a round trip over the weekend between Bangalore and Tuticorin

Onward: 27 Aug 2015; SRM Transport, AC Sleeper.. Weekday fare INR 940
Journey started on a bad note with me getting caught in a terrible traffic jam in Bangalore. There was no way I could reach Madiwala by 830 PM (I left home at Sarjapur road by 715 PM). Called up SRM and they offered to pick me in front of the Madiwala police station as the bus takes that route. Provided the driver and cleaners number and instructed them to pick us from this place. Was able to coordinate with them and they were cordial. The bus was also caught in traffic and a 1-1.5 km ride from their office to this point (usually 10-15 mins) took over an hour. Finally the bus reached at 10 PM.

The bus was a very old sleeper, with lot of rattles and squeaks. Berths werent very clean and the AC vents were broken. Had to squeeze some newspapers in to prevent the chill air from hitting my face. Charging points, personal lights non functional. Took the elevated road till Electronics City. Driving was quite sedate but fast and dropped us at Tuticorin by 730 AM. Stopped at Hosur to pick up a few scheduled pax and many alighted at Madurai. Crew decided to keep the cabin lights on till midnight when the bus stopped near Krishnagiri for a dinner / bio break

Have taken this service earlier when the bus was in better shape. Will i use them again - only if I dont have other options


Return: 30 Aug 2015; KPN Travels AC Sleeper, Weekend fare INR 1090

My preferred bus on this route was the KPN Multi Axle Volvo. However they have discontinued this service, so this is the only other AC option apart from SRM. Reached the boarding point at 745 PM (Scheduled departure 8 PM) and the bus was already there. It was a new coach with spanking clean interiors. No rattles or noises, apart from the central AC unit which sounded like a generator. I was in the upper berth next to it and hence was quite noisy and uncomfortable. Mentioned this to the crew but they could not help. Driving was not as smooth as SRM and the bad road till Kovilpatti didnt help. Stopped near Kovilpatti for dinner and many pax boarded at Madurai. Dropped at Madiwala by 640 AM.

Again, reluctance from the crew to turn the cabin lights off, making it uncomfortable. Crew switched the AC off during dinner break and when the bus was making its way through some steep sections of the Salem - Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri - Hosur sectors. Not observed this so far, is ths a common practice in non Volvo / Merc coaches to aid pick up? Again, switched AC off after electronics city.

Will I take this again - yes, because the other option is worser !!

[hserus]

This is a passengers review of a ride on a non ac sets bus that apparently broke down between Kanchipuram and Sriperumbudur. Late at night in pouring rain.

The driver and conductor tried fixing it with the limited tools at their disposal and failed. Making frantic calls to source a reserve bus through proper channels and then to the setc chief manager were apparently futile with a lot of passing the buck and zero action. Then a passing lorry driver pitched in with his tools so that the issue was finally resolved

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...6928769&type=1

[SchumiFan]

Did a 1 day trip to Chennai and back to Bangalore. KSRTC both ways. I find them cheaper, comparable or better buses to Private and on time everytime.

Took the 21:16 Club Class bus via Hosur. It was delayed by 15 minutes because of rush in the bus stand. Occupied seat near emergency exit. This is now my favorite seat as I love the amount of leg room it offers.

Had a break near Krishnagiri and was past the toll station at 11:55. Promptly got dropped at CMBT at 4:00AM in the morning. Journey was good but the bus went through a lot of lugging in the initial stages of the journey until the second driver took over.

For the return, I had booked the 23:08 Scania Diamond Class. Seat 40. It was a very new bus and since the seat was at the emergency door area, I was provided with an impressive level of leg room again.

I had previously travelled in a Hebron Scania and somehow felt the KSRTC to be a lot better on the sound insulation part. The journey was via Chittoor and except for some harsh braking on a couple of instances, it was a smooth one.

Got dropped at Shanthi Nagar Bus Stand at 5:50AM sharp. I got a discount on the booking as well since I travelled with KSRTC both ways.

Except for a few operators, I feel the amount of money charged by Private to be obnoxious compared to the prices offered by KSRTC. Will stick with them unless I get some offers on the website for private operators.

[poloman]

I had an horrible experience on my onward trip to Kerala during Onam season in a KSRTC Multi axle Volvo. The A/C was switched off most of the time with vents blowing hot air.Looks like this is a rampant practice now a days to save few bucks on fuel. Again they shut down the engine completely during refreshment breaks and that too with around 50 people crowded in the bus with no ventilation other than the a/c system. I think the KSRTC management is to blame here for rewarding the drivers for achieving mileage targets. They do all kind of nonsense like coasting, lugging, switching off a/c etc.
Even if the passengers complain, the driver can get away saying that the thermostat is at work for the set temperature.
At the end of the day I was left wondering why I should chose a a/c bus at double the rate with no a/c being switched on. Atleast in non a/c bus you can open the window and let some fresh air in.

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by poloman

I had an horrible experience on my onward trip to Kerala during Onam season in a KSRTC Multi axle Volvo. The A/C was switched off most of the time with vents blowing hot air.Looks like this is a rampant practice now a days to save few bucks on fuel. Again they shut down the engine completely during refreshment breaks and that too with around 50 people crowded in the bus with no ventilation other than the a/c system. I think the KSRTC management is to blame here for rewarding the drivers for achieving mileage targets. They do all kind of nonsense like coasting, lugging, switching off a/c etc.
Even if the passengers complain, the driver can get away saying that the thermostat is at work for the set temperature.
At the end of the day I was left wondering why I should chose a a/c bus at double the rate with no a/c being switched on. Atleast in non a/c bus you can open the window and let some fresh air in.

I faced a similar situation while travelling in a BMTC Corona bus from ITPL to kadugodi couple of years back. There were around 3 passengers in the bus excluding the driver and conductor. The driver conveniently did not switch on the AC till the passengers complained of suffocation.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by poloman

I had an horrible experience on my onward trip to Kerala during Onam season in a KSRTC Multi axle Volvo. The A/C was switched off most of the time with vents blowing hot air...

Was it the KaSRTC or KSRTC? If it's the latter (Kerala SRTC), they don't resort to such tactics usually, and the former is infamous for lugging the engine to extract the highest kmpl.