[Jaizcrzy]

Saw these JNNRUM (Tata Marcopolo) buses in hyderabad. they are great to look at. seems to have pretty decent looks also having the led display of numbers and destination points is great idea. these are clearly visible during night times. few volvo are also seen. Seems like the governments is seriously concentrating on improving our public transport. If yes, then its really a good news. Have to wait and watch on they are going to be maintained.

[navan49]

Hi Friends,

You can find the worst condition city buses to the Volvo Ac city buses, as well as hop on hop off buses in Chennai. The minimum fare is Rs2 and 5,10 and 15 are here. The hop on hop off fare to 58 kms is 250 in Volvo AC bus. Which is better than a taxi.

[dkamath]

Source: Mangalorean.Com- Serving Mangaloreans Around The World!

Wondering if i can use my BMTC monthly Vajra Gold passes on these buses too, during visits to native in future, hehe

On a side note, this being a highway run (NH17), would the automatic transmission hold up well enough? Or will the 8400 LE series be made available with manual transmission as well? Just speculating.

In any case, it's a good move towards providing an uplifted transport option between these 2 districts, where hundreds of people commute to work and personal reasons, everyday.

[recshenoy]

awesome news dkamath! Volvo for sure is going to be a very good option in Managlore! some times while travelling in local bus of Mangalore, scorching heat added to matsya gandha (smell of fish) make me feel like puking! i was dreaming of travelling in mangalore in volvo buses. very happy to hear about this!

Only concern is that, the big glasses of volvo wont attract some miscarnts whi generally enjoy throwing stones at buses :( Also, hope NH17 will remain in good condition!

[kadri007]

The road condition between Mangalore and Udupi during Monsoon season would be pathetic. I dont think Volvo's would be able to mangae these road conditions.

[AkMar]

Today I saw a very funny and unique incident happening with one of BEST's brand new Kinglongs. The Kinglongs have a row of LED brake lights running along the length of the rear glass. But in that particular bus, that row of brake lights started blinking (along with the actual turn indicator) when the driver switched on the turn indicator! For a moment I was confused as to why the driver was prodding the brake pedal so many times even though he was accelerating! Then reality dawned upon me. I was like after seeing it.

How can they let a mistake like this happen? Is there anything called quality control at JCBL? These buses have issues with the body and destination boards also. Under heavy acceleration, vibrations in the bus are too high. Rattles are aplenty right from day 1, especially in the dashboard and surrounding area & doors.

Edit: Pic showing location of LED brake lights added (indicated by white rectangle)

half the time the brake lights and indicators on the back dont work ....the side and front indicators keep blinking and the back ones dont....poor quality ....trust me Mumbai has made the jnnurm DEAL LOOK SAD....the CNG buses are like boxes nothing like other city transport including Kolkotta which had good buses with floors actually SLF and ventilation and seating....


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[AkMar]

Santosh, Do you mean to say that BEST's non ac buses bought with funding from JNNURM are not SLF? I agree that the body does not look good, but saying that they are not SLF is a bit too much. There is no issue with the ventilation and seating either.

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by AkMar

Today I saw a very funny and unique incident happening with one of BEST's brand new Kinglongs. The Kinglongs have a row of LED brake lights running along the length of the rear glass. But in that particular bus, that row of brake lights started blinking (along with the actual turn indicator) when the driver switched on the turn indicator! For a moment I was confused as to why the driver was prodding the brake pedal so many times even though he was accelerating! Then reality dawned upon me.

Was the entire row blinking, or only a portion of it? The reason why this question is: In the JC12HD version (the long distance version of KL), there is a similar row at the rear. A small portion of this lamp would blink when the indicators function - this is to provide back up if the indicator bulb fuses off.

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by binaiks

Was the entire row blinking, or only a portion of it? The reason why this question is: In the JC12HD version (the long distance version of KL), there is a similar row at the rear. A small portion of this lamp would blink when the indicators function - this is to provide back up if the indicator bulb fuses off.

The entire row was blinking. The strip (or portion of it) does not blink in any of the other buses.

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by condor

Adding to Bangalore's large fleet of Volvo's is the Tata Marcopolo's.

I had my first ride in a Marcopolo today, and here're my observations in comparison to the Volvos in which I travel regularly:

1. NO comparison
2. The ride is much stiffer than a Volvo, although light years ahead of the regular "air suspension" BMTCs.
3. VERY noisy all-around for an airconditioned bus of its class. The transmission whines, the engine groans and airconditioner sounds like a cement mixer. And this was a new bus- some months old.
4. Slower
5. Towards the end, I started chatting with the driver. His exact words, "Just see what happens when I press the accelerator." He did, and nothing happened. To say its sluggish is an understatement. The rules of this board prevent me from putting up the exact translation of what the driver said after this. His final words before my stop came "The Volvo is like an aeroplane compared to this"
6. Flexing noises during initial acceleration.

Final summary:

I will not say its better than the regular "Air Suspension" non-AC BMTC - those are much quieter. Net net, the Marcopolo is probably one of the taxpayer's worst investments. BMTC is better off plonking an AC on the regular "Air Suspension" buses for a slightly better user experience in fact.

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by theMAG

3. VERY noisy all-around for an airconditioned bus of its class. The transmission whines, the engine groans and airconditioner sounds like a cement mixer. And this was a new bus- some months old.

Spews out thick black smoke too. I was the receiving end last week while tailing one of the MARCOPOLO's near hebbal. With the windows rolled up in the Scorp' I still could hear the engine whine.

hiii the JNNURM buses CNG Leyland ones if you compare it with other SLFs launched across India BLore,Kolkotta,CHennai you would see the difference. Travel comfort lighting and design.
I happened to be an AL and Big Fan of BEST last 1.5 to t 2 years they have really dissappointed with rest of the city buses like kolkotta which has the worst buses once have the best ones

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by santoshnair

hiii the JNNURM buses CNG Leyland ones if you compare it with other SLFs launched across India BLore,Kolkotta,CHennai you would see the difference. Travel comfort lighting and design.

You are going bit too overboard with the criticism when you doubt whether the chassis is SLF or not. I repeat, the only issue with the BEST buses is the looks. Nothing else is wrong. Lighting is sufficient with 6 tubelights. Travel comfort too is there. Buses have air suspension like other cities. Ventilation too is not an issue. There is enough ventilation through the windows and small slits at floor level.

[teamveevee]

Originally Posted by santoshnair

Big Fan of BEST last 1.5 to t 2 years they have really dissappointed

I considered BEST, the best managed Public Transport Undertaking in India. I changed my mind once they ordered the KingLongs. Other than the KingLongs, the BEST track record so far is excellent.