[mash]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Just have a doubt guys.

Are there any morning buses to Bangalore from Hyderabad?

I have tried searching online for buses but all operators are have the first bus from Hyderabad to Bangalore at 4:45pm.

Any idea guys?

There are two AC buses operated by KaSRTC in the morning

Airavata Volvo departure - 7:30AM
Rajahamsa AC departure - 9:00AM

check @ Online Bus Ticket Reservation System - KSRTC

[TKMCE]

DC

As soon as you reach Gandhipuram bus stand, go to the Kerala SRTC booking window. They have started the reservation coupon system which they have in the Kerala bus stands. Pay the small change (I think it is 1 0r 2 Rs) and get your seat no alloted. Do not attempt to board the bus directly.

This is updated information as I took the 1300 Trivandrum Espress bus on the first staurday of Novemberr (the day Kerala had its latest motor vahana bandh to protest fuel price hike or some other non sense!).


Reg BLR HYD

APSRTC has a 11.30 service listed (non Ac) but it will reach around mid night. There is no point doing this journey in the day time as as there is no particular advantage. Earlier this made ense if you were commuting from places like COK or CJB to HYD and was taking an overnight bus to BLR, but now Kesineni has linked miost cities of Tamil Nadu and Kerala to HYD with a direct Volvo which takes max 20-22 hours from TRV or COK. The TRV service goes via Madurai and COK service goes via CJB.

Cheers

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by TKMCE

As soon as you reach Gandhipuram bus stand, go to the Kerala SRTC booking window. They have started the reservation coupon system which they have in the Kerala bus stands. Pay the small change (I think it is 1 0r 2 Rs) and get your seat no alloted. Do not attempt to board the bus directly.

The coupon system of KeSRTC has been existing in Coimbatore since the 1990s! I still remember, my dad used to purchase these reservation coupons for the even bus to Kothamangalam (we used to be regulars on that Coimbatore-Kothamangalam service, getting off at Thrissur). In the olden days (early 90s), the coupons used to be issued by Thiruvalluvar Transport Corporation (TTC) [for KeSRTC buses] and it used to cost 50ps, IIRC. Later on, the coupon issuing business was also taken over by KeSRTC, and the cost was increased to Rs. 1.

Now, the coupon costs Rs. 10 (per passenger). In Coimbatore, coupons is issued only 30 minutes prior to departure these days. Online reservation closes 30 minutes prior to departure. Once they prepare the chart, the vacant seats are opened for "current reservation" (the coupons). Coupon issue is stopped about 5 minutes prior to departure of the bus, when they hand over the waybill to the conductor.

[teamveevee]

Originally Posted by deepclutch

No.1 Travels runs in CBE-EKM Route. I used to get tickets to Angamaly as it is nearer to Muvattupuzha. from Angamaly, it is 50minutes-1hr journey.(34kms) . going to Ernakulam from northern side and travelling to Muvattupuzha is wasting 2 plus hours. So, KSRTC Bus towards Kottayam from Coimbatore are more convenient.

[Asian] No1 Travels got a sevice in CBE-KTM route. Not sure whether it is via Muvatupuzha with out touching EKM or the same EKM bus comes to KTM. Evening it starts from Kottayam in front of Sakthi Travels around 10 pm. Also i do not know what time they depart from CBE.

[deepclutch]

Originally Posted by TKMCE

DC

As soon as you reach Gandhipuram bus stand, go to the Kerala SRTC booking window. They have started the reservation coupon system which they have in the Kerala bus stands. Pay the small change (I think it is 1 0r 2 Rs) and get your seat no alloted. Do not attempt to board the bus directly.

This is updated information as I took the 1300 Trivandrum Espress bus on the first staurday of Novemberr (the day Kerala had its latest motor vahana bandh to protest fuel price hike or some other non sense!).

Cheers

Yes. I know the KSRTC Token system, the Holiday Rush. I studied Engineering in Coimbatore Only. Desperate, We used to take route #96 Walayar Town Bus to reach Walayar ! Thanks BTW.

Originally Posted by teamveevee

[Asian] No1 Travels got a sevice in CBE-KTM route. Not sure whether it is via Muvatupuzha with out touching EKM or the same EKM bus comes to KTM. Evening it starts from Kottayam in front of Sakthi Travels around 10 pm. Also i do not know what time they depart from CBE.

I think the Kottayam bound Tourist Buses takes different routes when starting from Kottayam and Coimbatore.

From Coimbatore, they takes Vyttila Bypass-Thalayolaparambe/Vaikom-Kottayam route.
while from Kottayam, they takes Muvattupuzha-Angamaly Route. I remember travelling in Asian,No.1 etc when I used to take the Bus in 12AM-1AM time to Coimbatore . They drive Pretty fast sometimes enter the madukkara cement factory's(ACC) narrow roads completing the drive between Muvattupuzha and Gandhipuram,Coimbatore in 4 hours flat. that was in end 1990s.

Kottayam-Bangalore Buses allows Coimbatore tickets and leaves the Passengers in Bypass. It is tough luck assuming Kottayam bound buses from Bangalore going through Coimbatore Bypass will allow tickets even if seats are available.

[TKMCE]

Yes the Kerala RTC token system is famous!!! Especially in Trivandrum where it alll started if i remeber correctly. At TRV, sometimes the queues would be very long (around 20 years back only few buses had reservations) and you could get into only the 3 or 4th bus fromthe time yoi joined the que. Even more irritating was the que jumping (you will be wondering whether you can make it to the next bus after all when some smart alec comes and pushes a 50 ps to the guy in the front of the que and says take one for me also please!!!).

As for my last trip from CJB, I was coming in from BOM (got a cheaper fare to CJB compared toCOK) ,Was planning to take the 2 PM Supaa AC , but then the previos night they announced the bandh and Supaa cancelled the bus. But surprisingly KeSRTC and SETC operated the services,I reached the bus stand just as the 1PM Trviandrum express bus was coming to the bay and the conductor asked me to get the coupon which I did.
But no Autos and Taxis did run during that day in Kerala till 6 PM and I reemeber some people were paying 26 Rs each for a 10 min journey from Mannuthy to the Trichur bus stand!!!

By the way event the PNQ BOM Asiad had a wonderful token system, They had printed seat nos with the bus timings. Very smooth and efficient although it worked well only in the first half of the day from both PNQ and Dadar. In the evening even after getting the token , you may have to wait a n hor or so for the bus to arrive from the other end .

[Arun.K]

Originally Posted by deepclutch

They drive Pretty fast sometimes enter the madukkara cement factory's(ACC) narrow roads completing the drive between Muvattupuzha and Gandhipuram,Coimbatore...

They drive through this route just to bypass RTO Checkpost. After going through Thirumalayampalayam they again arrive NH-47 at Amrita College Jn.

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by deepclutch

Is KSRTC running schedules as usual in Kerala-Coimbatore(MP issue) Since We would be Reaching Coimbatore in the Morning.
I think KSRTC is the Easiest option available from Coimbatore to reach Muvattupuzha.I know, Supaa,No.1 etc have had Bus Services to Ernakulam, But do they have morning services?

An update from Coimbatore:

Both KeSRTC and TNSTC/SETC services are affected. KeSRTC is operating services only during daylight hours (around 6AM from Palakkad end, upto about 1900hrs, from Palakkad end. From CBE, services are available upto about 2100hrs). All the buses would run as convoys - in effect, your bus might have to wait until there is enough buses to form a convoy (typically 4-5 buses).

On Saturday, the buses from Palakkad side were terminated near Madukkarai itself! I was lucky that I took an SETC bus from Palakkad to Coimbatore, that I could reach the city, KeSRTC buses (about 9 of them) were parked at Madukkarai, and they were all returning to Kerala.

SETC/TNSTC buses are affected since this morning. I was at the Gandhipuram BS today morning around 0300hrs - all the Kerala bound SETC buses (which should've passed anytime after 2300hrs the previous night) were parked at Gandhipuram. Some buses were terminated, while others were asked to wait until further orders - there were about 10 SETC buses (about 5 of them with passengers waiting) bound to various places in Kerala. The Station Master told that there was some incidences of Vandalism in Kerala on Sunday (I couldn't find any mention about it in Media), and hence services to Kerala are suspended.

Finally, KaSRTC came to my rescue - their Bangalore-Thrissur Airavat Club Class came to Coimbatore BS for dropping a couple of passengers. That conductor hit a jackpot, and he got about 9 passengers from CBE (the bus already had very decent crowd, for a Sunday departure from Bangalore).

The Club Class volvo left Coimbatore at 0335, and he was in Thrissur at 0555 - thats just 2 hours and 20 minutes, including about 5 minutes lost at Palakkad for dropping passengers in the BS, and another 5 minutes "leak" break. The fare was Rs. 193.

[ecenandu]

Originally Posted by binaiks

Both KeSRTC and TNSTC/SETC services are affected.

What about Kallada, Sona, Parveen etc,are they also affected? I have booked a ticket for 23rd to Trichur by Sona Travels.

OT: My brother is planning to drive down to Trichur from Chennai this friday. Just called me up now, to check whether I will be coming or not. Is it safe to take the car since there is a dispute going between the sates?

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by ecenandu

What about Kallada, Sona, Parveen etc,are they also affected? I have booked a ticket for 23rd to Trichur by Sona Travels.

OT: My brother is planning to drive down to Trichur from Chennai this friday. Just called me up now, to check whether I will be coming or not. Is it safe to take the car since there is a dispute going between the sates?

Private buses are operating without much hindrance. It is the state buses that are being targeted. There is no issue with private cars as well - I saw a lot of them in Coimbatore.

[Arun.K]

Originally Posted by binaiks

Private buses are operating without much hindrance. It is the state buses that are being targeted.

Yes binaiks, private buses are operating between Palakkad and Walayar. And bus no. 96 is operating between Walayar and Gandhipuram. Only the inter-state services are affected as of now.

[ron_9191]

I took a SRM Volvo B94 yesterday from Bangalore to Kollam ("Quilon" to the Brits ;-)) I have been traveling in this route for almost 10 years now and most of the time, I never preferred Volvos. Well I agree Volvo's seem to have better suspensions than the good old and the new Lelyland and the TATA's but I love the journey in the normal semi sleeper buses for some odd reason.

Well part of the reason is that I find the seats in the Volvos smaller than the ones that you find in the normal so called "Airbus" and when completely pushed back, the normal semi sleeper buses seem to have more leg room than the volvos according to me. And you can slide open the windows to have some cool breeze or may be have a smoke at the driver's cabin with the driver and listen to a few of his interesting stories while he plays around with a wobbly steering that has an endless free play at 80 kmph ;-)

Coming back to the matter about my journey. First up, the last time I was in a B94 was sometime in the first week of last month and honestly, I loved the journey. That was quite the same this time too but a few exceptions.

First the Bad news...

1. The SRM Volvo B9R I took unfortunately was doused in some cheap perfume and that made my wife throw up a few times, and to me I felt suffocated. So I walked up to the attendant and thanks to the Volvo's elaborate console, I could find that the A/C was running in "Recirculate" mode. I informed the driver and he was kind enough to switch it to "auto" to sort out things.

and 2. I came to know from a frequent traveler of this bus that the seating arrangements were good and far better that the rest of the competition. But to me it was a terrifying experience again. There was absolutely nothing called "legroom" in there and it was really something I didn't enjoy at all.

Now the good news...

1. The bus started from Madiwala at 19:30 yesterday and reached here in my town at 05:20. I just couldn't believe that. Mind you, the distance to travel is almost 673 KM. That makes me think that the bus was literally driven hard.

2. Absolutely flawless driving by Mr. Wilson who was at the wheel. I informed him in 10 years I have never found anyone who drives so beautifully. The whole journey was silky smooth. No sudden brake slams, no horns, no crazy headlight "scratching" and no zero gravity experiences going over speed bumps or anything at breakneck speeds, what more could you ask for?

Well I would have enjoyed my journey much better if my wife was doing alright, but that wasn't the case.

There is one serious safety hazard I found with these buses. This time I am going to talk about legroom once again. These buses are so low in legroom that in the event of a high speed collision the occupants could seriously injure their waist down as it is really cramped and there is no way you could move out. I believe part of the reason is because after the registration of these buses, the seat configuration seems to be played around to accomodate more people. In the interest of public safety, I believe it is high time the government does something than telling the media that they will "LOOK" into the matter.

[coolclouds]

Anyone traveled in Kallada's Trivandrum - Bangalore services? I was just going through their website and found three B9Rs (4pm, 8.30pm and 10pm). 10pm bus got a pick up at Ernakulam at 1.45am !!

I prefer to board 1.45am bus from Ernakulam for some reasons. Any update on this service?

[dhandapanik]

R.No 555 of Bangalore-Vellore route operated by TNSTC-Villupuram(Vellore region). Route is Vellore,Chitoor, Balamner, Mulpahal, Bangalore. This is the only TNSTC(Including SETC) bus to start from Bangalore Majestic BS. One more uniqueness is that it is the only TNSTC which runs in KA-AP-TN interstate state. SETC also has buses running via AP in Bangalore-Chennai route.


Tamilnadu-Andhrapradesh-Karnataka STU buses queuing up in Majestic. Pic also has MSRTC Parivarthan standing in the right most corner and Kadamba Volvo is just behind these buses.

[deepclutch]

Originally Posted by deepclutch

I need to book ticket from Madras to Kochi for next week online through redbus. However, all tickets are sold out it seems(don't prefer upper berth because elderly people are travelling with Me)
So, I am thinking of booking Madras to Coimbatore instead and Later Catch Bus from Coimbatore to Muvattupuzha.
I would like to Know Which is the preferred A/C Semi Sleeper Bus in Madras-Kovai Route and preferably reaching earliest. How is Conti Travels and "Barathi Travels"?

Reached from Madras to Kerala Safely.

The A/C Bus departure at 6PM to Madras was replaced by a rattling, old A/C Bus! only 15 passengers or So were there after including passengers who are picked up from Thrissur.

Next, it was Hell for the next 15-16 hours! This so called Bus is a "Chiller". I mean, this Bus has AC working at Full Blower speed only. No adjustable blower. and they have not given any blankets too. The Bus Crew will switch off Blower every 15-30 minutes or So or when Someone literally go and beg to shut down the damn A/C. Cannot Sleep!

Bus Left at 6.15PM from Kadavanthra and driven slowly collecting Passengers from Angamaly etc and entering Thrissur City and Later Revolving around Coimbatore. after the Bus reached Ganapati, Some passengers who were to leave the Bus at Coimbatore wake up and Bus took a reverse trip to Gandhipuram! Bus left Coimbatore at 1.30AM or So and Reaching Koyambedu at 10.30AM. Hellish Experience.

On Return, Took ARC Travels(online reservation) from Koyambedu Bus stand. The Experience was good. Bus Reached Coimbatore Gandhipuram at 6.45AM IIRC.
Bus Left at sharp 9.15PM, but caught in some traffic congestion in front of Omni Bus Stand wasting 25-30minutes. took one stop near salem.
They gave Water and Blanket. it was a peaceful travel.

There are no Kerala Buses from Gandhipuram Thiruvalluvar Stand. SETC FP buses are entering town bus stand with trips only up to Walayar.

I took #96 Local Bus to reach Valayar and later Palakkad KSRTC Bus stand to Catch Bus to Muvattupuzha. took around 8 hours to reach Muvattupuzha! I would've gone to CBE JN railway station.

Overall, a Bad time to Travel and Travel Experience.