[binaiks]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

How can they afford to run a service so cheap?
Even by the most conservative estimate, that means a fare collection of approximately Rs 5,500 (assuming 30 people paying full fare).
Diesel will cost at least Rs 3,500 (assuming mileage of Rs 4 per km, diesel per litre Rs 45).
That leaves hardly any money to pay the cost of the driver/conductor, amortisations and repair costs.

According to the crew/owner, this bus is earning upto Rs. 20,000 over a round trip. They carry standing passengers as well. This is the second bus running on the same idea.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

HVK ji, not all passengers would be "through" passengers. Being a stage carriage, several passengers would get in get out en route.

May be 3 or 4 passengers would travel tull distance from Parassinikadavu to Ernakulam. Parassanikadavu is a deviation between Taliparamba and Kannur.

Approx 100 passengers, each paying average fare of Rs. 90/- looks a practical scenario, and would result in that kind of earnings mentioned.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

HVK ji, not all passengers would be "through" passengers. Being a stage carriage, several passengers would get in get out en route.

May be 3 or 4 passengers would travel tull distance from Parassinikadavu to Ernakulam. Parassanikadavu is a deviation between Taliparamba and Kannur.

Approx 100 passengers, each paying average fare of Rs. 90/- looks a practical scenario, and would result in that kind of earnings mentioned.

Absolutely, I agree with your rationale, that is how most private buses operate. I simply took a through-trip scenario to see how it looks like. But it is quite something that a AC bus offers you lower rates than the inefficient behemoth that KSRTC is.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Here are a few pics of the Greyhound service that operates between Washington DC and New York:

The bus covers the 240 miles in around 4.5 hours, with halts at Wilmington, Delaware and Baltimore, Maryland.
What attracted me was the comfy pushback seats, the laptop plug points and the wi-fi in the bus that has a toilet at the rear.
You get all of this for 20 USD if you book online. Comparedt to Amtrak train fare of 65 to 120 USD, this one is paisa vasool.

Agree on the speed part. Most of the distance between NYC and DC is I95, and has 65 or 70 mph speed limit. The buses are consistently at 70 or above, so it should be rather easy to travel 240 miles in 4.5 hours because there are no emergency braking maneuvers etc. and you travel more or less at steady speed.

However I didn't have a great deal of legroom. I think the Volvo's that I traveled in India have greater legroom than the Greyhound bus that I took to travel to DC from NYC.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by Jimmyjosek

Prasad AC cab:

This is an AC private stage carrier in Kerala. It runs between Ernakulam and Parassinikadavu, via Guruvayur, Kozhikode, Kannur. Dep EKM 07.00 pm, Parassinikadavu - 08.10 am. The bus is AC, with ABS. This is the second AC bus in Kerala, first one being Parasuram.

They charge Rs. 160 between Ernakulam and Kannur while a non AC KSRTC superfast, departing at 06.30 pm from Ernakulam to Mangalore charge Rs. 180 between Ernakulam and Kannur. Its the best bet to ravel between Ernakulam and Malabar districts

Body built by Atal coach, Karur

Are we sure about the timings. Seems dodgy

Yes private operators can run this kind of show when they are looking at 100% or above occupancy factor. Also regulars on this rote wouldn't mind waiting a bit more to catch this bus and travel in comfort. After all no sweaty arm pits.

[coolclouds]

The timing should be for departures. The bus departs Kochi at 7 should reach Kannur/Parassinikadavu at about 2-3am.

[prashanthyr]

Spotted this 'Super Luxury' APSRTC bus heading towards Mekhri Circle this morning. It was being driven at a constant 40 kph in the right most lane. How do these buses even get on the road, leave alone cross state borders in this condition?

[smashnerd]

Originally Posted by prashanthyr

Spotted this 'Super Luxury' APSRTC bus heading towards Mekhri Circle this morning. It was being driven at a constant 40 kph in the right most lane. How do these buses even get on the road, leave alone cross state borders in this condition?

Wow, it's a miracle! It's even got hydraulics.

Damn, how can an RTC allow something in such a dilapidated condition on the roads?

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by smashnerd

Damn, how can an RTC allow something in such a dilapidated condition on the roads?

I remember someone praising the maintenance of APSRTC is one thread... I dedicate this image to him

One must visit the bus parking lot near Majestic bus station to see how well the APSRTC buses are maintained - I'd rather call them as mangled pieces of metal, than buses.

[CRDIsamir]

Here are a few pictures of bus made in Stainless Steel. Obviously this bus hails from Salem and i shot the picture while I was in Yercaud last year. The Pictures are taken at the Yercaud Bus Stand

[Wind]

Originally Posted by CRDIsamir

Here are a few pictures of bus made in Stainless Steel. Obviously this bus hails from Salem and i shot the picture while I was in Yercaud last year. The Pictures are taken at the Yercaud Bus Stand

In the early nintees there used to be a stainless steel video coach ( yes, that was the name of the bus) that used to operate between Cochin and Bangalore. During night, it was hell for the vehicles behind this coach as the headlight of the trailing vehicle used to get reflected right back at it.


-- Wind

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by CRDIsamir

Here are a few pictures of bus made in Stainless Steel. Obviously this bus hails from Salem and i shot the picture while I was in Yercaud last year. The Pictures are taken at the Yercaud Bus Stand

Almost all the private buses in Coimbatore City (City Buses) have such bodies. However, in them, the yellow is replaced with Red.

Here is one such bus:

[v1kram]

Originally Posted by binaiks

Almost all the private buses in Coimbatore City (City Buses) have such bodies. However, in them, the yellow is replaced with Red.

Here is one such bus:

Even TNSTC Coimbatore's normal city buses have similar bodies, atleast when new (built in Pollachi, Udumalpet, etc).

[arvi86]

I accompanied my colleague to pick up his friend coming to Chennai by a private bus. As we were waiting for the bus to arrive, this monster came and stopped and people started getting down. Only when getting down, some people noticed that the bus didn't have the front windshield and were shocked. The bus was being operated by a popular company called 'Sethumeena Travels'.

The most funny thing was that it was an A/C Sleeper. The side and rear of the bus was perfectly alright. But those guys have driven it without windshield all night (I was told from Madurai to Chennai). Now, what do we do of these guys?

[smashnerd]

Originally Posted by arvi86

I accompanied my colleague to pick up his friend coming to Chennai by a private bus. As we were waiting for the bus to arrive, this monster came and stopped and people started getting down. Only when getting down, some people noticed that the bus didn't have the front windshield and were shocked. The bus was being operated by a popular company called 'Sethumeena Travels'.

The most funny thing was that it was an A/C Sleeper. The side and rear of the bus was perfectly alright. But those guys have driven it without windshield all night (I was told from Madurai to Chennai). Now, what do we do of these guys?

What the heck happened there?! The bus must've had an accident en route or something. Can't believe some of the people were shocked and the fact that the driver kept going with a broken windshield bewilders me.

And why didn't his bus get pulled over or something by the Highway police?