Intercity Bus travel reviews

binaiks · 23rd December 2011, 22:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by deepclutch

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.

Which operator was this? 6PM from Kadavanthra should be SONA, IMO.

deepclutch · 23rd December 2011, 23:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by binaiks

Which operator was this? 6PM from Kadavanthra should be SONA, IMO.

Yes. it is Sona Travels. We were supposed to catch the A/C Semi Sleeper ISUZU Bus.

coolclouds · 24th December 2011, 09:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by deepclutch

Yes. it is Sona Travels. We were supposed to catch the A/C Semi Sleeper ISUZU Bus.

The Isuzu bus is good one and goes via Krishnagiri. Sona is known for special weekend/festival services and you must have got into one! Thank God, at least you reached

silversteed · 24th December 2011, 15:52

Last night I travelled from Bangalore to Palakkad in my regular bus - the 21:00hrs Palakkad Super Deluxe. The crew was new to this route, and it took them almost an hour to reach St.John's Hospital junction, from the Mysore Road Satellite Bus Stand. Instead of turning left, the bus headed straight. There were almost 30 people, including me, waiting to board this bus. Some of us called the station master and apprised him of the situation. He made the bus come back and pick us up, and continue on the designated route. By the time the bus came back to the bus stop, it was 22:55hrs. That was a delay of an hour and a half. The conductor requested one of us to help him with the route till E-City, as he wasn't familiar with the route at all.

Since it was fully booked from end to end, the bus took the L&T by-pass road instead of going through Coimbatore city. The Madukkarai and Chavadi areas looked peaceful. There wasn't any sign of trouble when I passed that area. The bus reached Palakkad depot at 06:40hrs - just 30min behind the scheduled time of arrival.

The driver was skilled enough to maintain speed and yet drive sane and not rash. It did overtake some of the Rajahamsa buses and SETC buses on the way, that I had seen leaving Bangalore city well before I boarded my bus.

Gansan · 25th December 2011, 09:22

I made a trip to Tuticorin and back by the SRM Travels multi-axle Volvo last week. Bus started from their own Koyambedu terminal at 10.15 PM and we halted for tea at Trichy outer at 2.45 AM. Left Trichy at 3.00 AM and reached Tuticorin at 6.20 AM.

There was some heavy traffic at some stretches on the return trip. We started at 10.30 PM and I was dropped at the MIT bridge at 7.15 AM.

Both buses were KL registered and beautifully maintained. I went around and looked at all the tyres and all were good. Interiors were top-class and the staff very polite. AC vents were perfect and could be completely turned off if necessary. The shawl provided was clean. Both buses had ~ 325000 KM on the odo but still ran like new. I was in the first row on the return trip and could see the driver consistently hitting 120+. Driving was clean and with just a few sharp brakings. There are 6 forward and 1 reverse gears. The reverse gear position is the first gear in our cars! The fare one way was Rs 800.00.

I did not find the seats very roomy or comfy. Leg room was just about ok if the fellow in front of you pushes his seat all the way back. The leg support is particularly uncomfortable and I kept it fully folded. In fact I find the seats broader and the legroom better in the Vivegam Travels non-AC executive coach. Sorry for not posting any pics, my mobile cam would have been no good given the light conditions.

Would I take the bus again? May be, only if I could not get a train reservation or my work demands me to leave late. Even the ordinary sleeper in train is waaay better at just Rs 280.00!

speedsatya · 26th December 2011, 12:28

Was speaking to a Mercedes Multi Axle bus driver yesterday driving to Belgaum.He said these buses can hit 160 kph on the speedo ,but his organization had limited the top speed to 100 kph . He was saying ,there are some operators who havent done this and their buses regularly do 140 kph on any open stretch . He did admit that its scary for anything above 100 kph in these buses ,as you never know when someone would dart across . Also ,it felt good to hear a bus driver talk responsibly and also point out the lack of lane discipline amongst car owners .

dhandapanik · 26th December 2011, 15:05

I was there in Madurai's Integrated Bus Station while returning back from a near by place. Noticed few Munnar bound services which came to madurai because of the ongoing dispute between TN and KL. Suddenly got a surprise visitor. A 12M AL bus(TN01 N 5958) of SETC which is actually a downgraded guy from AC service. Its actual route was Tanjore-Chennai and it was here after completing its special trip to Nagercoil and now moving to Trichy. It is attached to Tanjore depot of SETC. Officially this is the only 12M 48 Seater of SETC with Air Suspension now.

Intercity Bus travel reviews-dsc_0958.jpg

Intercity Bus travel reviews-dsc_0960.jpg

Intercity Bus travel reviews-dsc_0963.jpg

Ashley2 · 26th December 2011, 16:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedsatya

Was speaking to a Mercedes Multi Axle bus driver yesterday driving to Belgaum.He said these buses can hit 160 kph on the speedo ,but his organization had limited the top speed to 100 kph . ....

But why did he limit to 160 kmph. He should have told 200 kmph

.

No where these coaches can hit the said speed. Max speed will be upto 120 only. In slight down gradients it can go upto 125 and later which no speedo to check only GPS to help.

speedsatya · 26th December 2011, 16:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ashley2

But why did he limit to 160 kmph. He should have told 200 kmph

.

No where these coaches can hit the said speed. Max speed will be upto 120 only. In slight down gradients it can go upto 125 and later which no speedo to check only GPS to help.

Yeah ,even I thought so .

.Maybe he was referring to the speedometer numbers ( dunno if its marked till 160 kph )
But I have seen buses in Turkey doing 135 on the GPS !

Ashley2 · 26th December 2011, 16:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedsatya

Yeah ,even I thought so .

.Maybe he was referring to the speedometer numbers ( dunno if its marked till 160 kph )
But I have seen buses in Turkey doing 135 on the GPS !

Speedo is marked till 120 kmph and needle can travel upto 125 kmph.

Intercity Bus travel reviews-dsc05332.jpg

Image is not mine

binaiks · 26th December 2011, 17:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedsatya

Yeah ,even I thought so .

.Maybe he was referring to the speedometer numbers ( dunno if its marked till 160 kph )
But I have seen buses in Turkey doing 135 on the GPS !

No. The Merc speedo in India is marked only till 125 (they have a marking at 125kmph).

Ashley2 · 26th December 2011, 17:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by binaiks

No. The Merc speedo in India is marked only till 125 (they have a marking at 125kmph).

Mistakenly, I have shared details of Volvo's. But sadly both does not qualify for 160 kmph mark

Gansan · 26th December 2011, 17:22

I think the speedo of the multi axle Volvo was marked till 140.

binaiks · 26th December 2011, 17:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gansan

I think the speedo of the multi axle Volvo was marked till 140.

No. They are not. All Volvo Inter-city coaches (right from the Mark-I B7Rs, to the current B9R - 9400s), had their speedos marked only upto 120kmph (the needle can go upto 125 kmph, there is a sub-division after 120kmph).

Here is a pic of the speedo of a B9R (this one is of a Kallada B9R). It is the same as the one AshLey1 had put a couple of posts above.

Ashley2 · 27th December 2011, 12:18

I found these Specially packed ARC water bottles for KPN travels.
Think they are offered in AP routes.

24th December 2011, 15:52	#1324
silversteed Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Electri-City Posts: 2,368 Thanked: 2,239 Times	Re: Intercity Bus travel reviews Last night I travelled from Bangalore to Palakkad in my regular bus - the 21:00hrs Palakkad Super Deluxe. The crew was new to this route, and it took them almost an hour to reach St.John's Hospital junction, from the Mysore Road Satellite Bus Stand. Instead of turning left, the bus headed straight. There were almost 30 people, including me, waiting to board this bus. Some of us called the station master and apprised him of the situation. He made the bus come back and pick us up, and continue on the designated route. By the time the bus came back to the bus stop, it was 22:55hrs. That was a delay of an hour and a half. The conductor requested one of us to help him with the route till E-City, as he wasn't familiar with the route at all. Since it was fully booked from end to end, the bus took the L&T by-pass road instead of going through Coimbatore city. The Madukkarai and Chavadi areas looked peaceful. There wasn't any sign of trouble when I passed that area. The bus reached Palakkad depot at 06:40hrs - just 30min behind the scheduled time of arrival. The driver was skilled enough to maintain speed and yet drive sane and not rash. It did overtake some of the Rajahamsa buses and SETC buses on the way, that I had seen leaving Bangalore city well before I boarded my bus. Last edited by silversteed : 24th December 2011 at 15:53.
	() Thanks

25th December 2011, 09:22	#1325
Gansan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 4,633 Thanked: 5,975 Times	Re: Intercity Bus travel reviews I made a trip to Tuticorin and back by the SRM Travels multi-axle Volvo last week. Bus started from their own Koyambedu terminal at 10.15 PM and we halted for tea at Trichy outer at 2.45 AM. Left Trichy at 3.00 AM and reached Tuticorin at 6.20 AM. There was some heavy traffic at some stretches on the return trip. We started at 10.30 PM and I was dropped at the MIT bridge at 7.15 AM. Both buses were KL registered and beautifully maintained. I went around and looked at all the tyres and all were good. Interiors were top-class and the staff very polite. AC vents were perfect and could be completely turned off if necessary. The shawl provided was clean. Both buses had ~ 325000 KM on the odo but still ran like new. I was in the first row on the return trip and could see the driver consistently hitting 120+. Driving was clean and with just a few sharp brakings. There are 6 forward and 1 reverse gears. The reverse gear position is the first gear in our cars! The fare one way was Rs 800.00. I did not find the seats very roomy or comfy. Leg room was just about ok if the fellow in front of you pushes his seat all the way back. The leg support is particularly uncomfortable and I kept it fully folded. In fact I find the seats broader and the legroom better in the Vivegam Travels non-AC executive coach. Sorry for not posting any pics, my mobile cam would have been no good given the light conditions. Would I take the bus again? May be, only if I could not get a train reservation or my work demands me to leave late. Even the ordinary sleeper in train is waaay better at just Rs 280.00!
	() Thanks

26th December 2011, 12:28	#1326
speedsatya Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: bangalore/manga Posts: 3,167 Thanked: 742 Times View My Garage	Re: Intercity Bus travel reviews Was speaking to a Mercedes Multi Axle bus driver yesterday driving to Belgaum.He said these buses can hit 160 kph on the speedo ,but his organization had limited the top speed to 100 kph . He was saying ,there are some operators who havent done this and their buses regularly do 140 kph on any open stretch . He did admit that its scary for anything above 100 kph in these buses ,as you never know when someone would dart across . Also ,it felt good to hear a bus driver talk responsibly and also point out the lack of lane discipline amongst car owners .
	() Thanks

26th December 2011, 15:05	#1327
dhandapanik BHPian Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: TN-37/41/58/70 Posts: 195 Thanked: 157 Times	Re: Intercity Bus travel reviews I was there in Madurai's Integrated Bus Station while returning back from a near by place. Noticed few Munnar bound services which came to madurai because of the ongoing dispute between TN and KL. Suddenly got a surprise visitor. A 12M AL bus(TN01 N 5958) of SETC which is actually a downgraded guy from AC service. Its actual route was Tanjore-Chennai and it was here after completing its special trip to Nagercoil and now moving to Trichy. It is attached to Tanjore depot of SETC. Officially this is the only 12M 48 Seater of SETC with Air Suspension now.
	() Thanks

26th December 2011, 17:22	#1333
Gansan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 4,633 Thanked: 5,975 Times	Re: Intercity Bus travel reviews I think the speedo of the multi axle Volvo was marked till 140.
	() Thanks

27th December 2011, 12:18	#1335
Ashley2 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: NH7 Posts: 2,117 Thanked: 1,526 Times View My Garage	Re: Intercity Bus travel reviews I found these Specially packed ARC water bottles for KPN travels. Think they are offered in AP routes.
	() Thanks