[techn0l0gist]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Aww.. sucks man. Thats one horrible group of people.

and thier motto happens to be "For a safe & superior quality travel with unmatched hospitality on SEABIRD TOURISTS "

here's the website that says so :

http://www.seabirdtourists.com/

[kadri007]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

You should have complained when you got to Goa..

I too called the Sea Bird office in Bangalore after I reached and told them what had happened. But there were least bothered even to hear the problem. I gave my number and asked the owner to speak but till now no response at all.

So decided never again I will travel in this horrible bus. Most of my travel are in private bus but never has seen such horrible management.

[kadri007]

Originally Posted by techn0l0gist

and thier motto happens to be "For a safe & superior quality travel with unmatched hospitality on SEABIRD TOURISTS "

here's the website that says so :

And anyone planning please don't go by pics in their website, their Non AC Sleeper buses are in very very bad condition and they load luggage like trucks.

What they claim is a big joke. They are highly unsafe and pathetic quality of service.

[Archish]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

How much was the cost?
I am still wondering why these Intra City buses are plying between cities that too upto 160 kms. Many features like Auto Transmissions, Rear Camera etc are provided keeping in mind the Intra City application. But they are now in the list of " Not so useful feature list".

BTW, TNSTC - Coimbatore division is operating FE SLF buses between Coimbatore - Palani (104 kms),Coimbatore - Pollachi (40kms).

These buses are not MTC buses. But TNSTC buses, Villupuram Division. I dont see rear camera. But AT yes. The cost from Vellore to Ponnamalle was 140rs.

[watfor]

Originally Posted by kadri007

And anyone planning please don't go by pics in their website, their Non AC Sleeper buses are in very very bad condition and they load luggage like trucks.

What they claim is a big joke. They are highly unsafe and pathetic quality of service.

I travel by SeaBird regularly to Karwar and have found the SeaBird buses better than the VRL and Sugama ones. They provide clean bed sheets and their deviation from the schedule is better than the other private operators.

They are however guilty of over-loading the buses with luggage and spending a long time unloading/loading them in Bangalore, Ankola and Karwar.

[MCR]

Hello Guys,
We are planning a trip to Goa from 02.04.2010 to 04.04.2010. As I was checking to book the bus tickets , I found out that KSRTC Vovlo is completely booked on 01.04.2010. Then immedialtely I checked in Redbus, here some tickets are availbale on Seabird Non-Ac and Paulo Volvo AC busses. The ticket fare is premium priced at 1300 per ticket for Paulo Volvo Ac. Is Paulo reliable? The reviews on Mounthshut.com says otherwise.

So now the burning question is whether to book on Paulo or Seabird or just stick to KSRTC Rajahamsa(backache free).
Request your help

[kadri007]

Try out Paulo Volvo Multi Axel. Thier service is just ok but bus is new and comfortable. Have travelled in Paulo in Mangalore route thrice, I didnt find anything to complain, but dont expect a royal service. Its just normal.

Sea bird will make you sad, expecially the NON AC. I have travelled in the Non AC sleeper buses. They are not in good condition and they load a hell lot of luggage .

Agents are highly unprofessional and management is irresponsible. I had a bad experience. They dont keep up the time also.

If you are getting KSRTC Volvo, nothing like it.

Else there is a train also leaving Yesvanthpur.

[vamsi.kona]

The best private bus operator in AP is undoubtedly Kesineni, followed by Kaleswari. They mostly stick to their schedules and Kesineni even has a flying squad who randomly stop their buses and check with the customers what fare they were charged by agents who are authorised to sell the tickets. Any fare higher than prescribed would be dealt with. Best thing is they operate to almost all important routes, like chennai, Bang, Pune and Mumbai. Don't know about services to Kerala.

[deepclutch]

Originally Posted by vamsi.kona

Don't know about services to Kerala.

Not aware of any tourist bus service from Andhra to Kerala.may be,from Coimbatore there is(to Tirupati for example).

[aargee]

I'm sharing my 2 cents of my experience (love) with Volvo busses.
Nov 2009, I'd to travel from Chennai to Trivandrum (TVM) to see my wife who was away at my in-laws home awaiting for delivery of our daughter. The occassion was for our wedding anniversary; as usual, I'd option to drive, which my wife strictly refused or take the train for which the railway politely refused (no tickets).

Determined to leave at any cost, I picked up the option to leave from Chennai at 15:00 by non-A/C bus operated by SRM to reach TVM by next day morning 6:00, which was the option to reach earliest. Fortunately, that bus was cancelled & luck favoured me to travel by Volvo at 18:00. That was one of the wonderful drive & I couldn't believe when I woke up at Tirunelveli at 4:00 (I was assuming it to be Madurai or I must be dreaming) & when this guy dropped me at Karamana junction at 07:15, I was more than thrilled.

I'd 3 trips after that & all 3 of them were through SRM & once I got dropped at the same junction by 6:15 AM. I also booked tickets for my friends who also appreciated the time & experience of travelling by Volvo. I'm looking forward for another trip with my Wifey & children in Volvo & Volvo only. The way they overtake the Tata & AL busses require more than pair of eyes to enjoy.

Just to give you a glimpse
Train time
1. Departs Chennai 20:00, reaches TVM 11:55 next day (16 hours)
2. Departs Chennai 19:15, reaches TVM 11:25 next day (16+ hours)
3. Volvo departs Chennai 18:00, reaches TVM 07:30 next day (13:30 hours)

Trust me, no more trains, no more car to TVM

[TKMCE]

Well things have changed .....

I used to do the MAA-TRV run for many years in lthe 1990s. At that time no Volvos in the route, the quickest was an operator "Rathimeena Travels" who had a 3 PM departure (as as well as another at 5.30 PM ) from Egmore which used to get me to TRV around 07 AM.Later SRM started and then there was some operator "Tippu Sultan" or something of the sort!!! Oh and before I forget , The Tamil Nadu state guys are the oldest operators on this route. It started with the old Pallavan Transports (before my time), then it became TTC (Thiruvalluvar Transport), then became JJTC, followed by RGTC and finally I think Karunanidhi put an end it to it and said SETC!!! During the TTC days (Thiruvalluvar Transport days) the service was not too bad - the first bus used to be at 12:30 from Trivandrum reaching MAA around 5.30 AM.

I dont remember KeSRTC having a service from Trivandrum but they dd have a service between Ernakulam and Chennai around 1995- (a super deluxe 2 x2). The only time I I travelled from MAA, bus left MAA at 3 PM, reached Palghat at 5 AM and then the conductor announced that the bus will leave only at 6 .30 or so from Palghat for Ernakulam. Virtuually most of the few pax travelling beyond Palghat got fed up, didnt bother to argue and took another bus to their destinations!!!

Yeah - train is a big pain on MAA-TRV. It is even worse on BLR-TRV!!!!

[naveenroy]

My last trip to Nagercoil from Bangalore in the KPN AC bus only took just more than 10 hours. I rememember, years ago, it used to take 16 hours even. I told this to a friend of mine who said that on taking the multi-axle bus, it took him even lesser times. Thanks to the good roads and good buses these days!

On a small , yes, the train travel is a big pain between NGK and BLR! But guess there has been a new train announced between BLR and Kanyakumari through Salem, Madurai etal. This should reduce timing on train travel between these stations.

Originally Posted by TKMCE

Yeah - train is a big pain on MAA-TRV. It is even worse on BLR-TRV!!!!

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by aargee

I'm looking forward for another trip with my Wifey & children in Volvo & Volvo only.
...
Trust me, no more trains, no more car to TVM

A word of caution/advice. Volvo experience can turn nasty with a small baby on board. The fully airconditioned atmosphere may not be liked by small kids who would like to freely roam around. Re-circulated air may cause nausea.

I never take bus when my 4 year old is traveling with us. Strict no no.

Originally Posted by naveenroy

My last trip to Nagercoil from Bangalore in the KPN AC bus only took just more than 10 hours. I rememember, years ago, it used to take 16 hours even. I told this to a friend of mine who said that on taking the multi-axle bus, it took him even lesser times. Thanks to the good roads and good buses these days!

That is a huge reflection on the current state of NH7. NHAI, great job for making travel to TVM easier.

[coolclouds]

Originally Posted by aargee

Determined to leave at any cost, I picked up the option to leave from Chennai at 15:00 by non-A/C bus operated by SRM to reach TVM by next day morning 6:00, which was the option to reach earliest. Fortunately, that bus was cancelled & luck favoured me to travel by Volvo at 18:00. That was one of the wonderful drive & I couldn't believe when I woke up at Tirunelveli at 4:00 (I was assuming it to be Madurai or I must be dreaming) & when this guy dropped me at Karamana junction at 07:15, I was more than thrilled.
TVM

+1
SRM is one of the fastest services I've seen between Bangalore and Kochi/Trivandrum. Their multi axle bus leaves Kochi at 10.30pm and reaches Bangalore by 6.00-7am!!

[LPT2625]

Are private bus operators forming cartels and cornering certain interstate routes? For example, for some strange reason, KPN Travels does not have services on the Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram route. This sector is being served by operators like Rathimeena, Universel, SRM etc. But KPN is a key player on the Bangalore-Thiruvananthapuram and Bangalore-Salem/Madurai/Nagercoil sectors, which are not served by Rathimeena. Can anyone shed some light?