[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Some info (things i noticed) on the buses-

1) ......there is also one red light which glows slightly when you lift of the throttle & goes away as you rev the bus.

Thats a indicator to show that ur batteries are being charged.
So when you lift the Accelerator pedal you may not charge the battery and it glows and it goes away when you press again as its charging.

[Ashley2]

And Raj I also wish your signature be, not just Ashok Leyland buses but -

"AshokLeyland Viking"

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by amitk26

Congratulations Raj and wish you all the best for your venture.

Read your thread rather late today and went through all the pages.
Indeed it is first and only of of it's kind.

So would you shift to Kerala for overseeing the operations first hand or going to remote control things from B'bay ?

thanks buddy.

i wont be shifting to kerela, infact i am back to mumbai. i'll be visiting kerela more often now though.

Originally Posted by KRRaj

All the Best for your Business Raj. Excellent Colour on the Buses and nice Interiors and very tastefully done. No ugly stickers like some other travels put.

The Pictures make me want to drive a bus ;-)

thanks raj. i am very much against ugly/unnecessary stickering & also red/blue/green lights on top, sides & in the cabin which makes the bus a disco on wheels.

i wanted our bus to be more classy & elegant.

Originally Posted by Ashley2

Are you sure thats a Safari headlight.
I suppose its a Headlamp lifted from NewGen Cabin of ALL.
But before that " My Sincere and hearty Congratulation on your new business".
I wish all your dreams come true.
All the Very Best Raj.

yes, thats a safari's headlight.

thanks a lot for the wishes buddy.

Originally Posted by Ashley2

Thats a indicator to show that ur batteries are being charged.
So when you lift the Accelerator pedal you may not charge the battery and it glows and it goes away when you press again as its charging.

now thats new info for me! advantages of posting your experiences in a forum like this.

Originally Posted by Ashley2

And Raj I also wish your signature be, not just Ashok Leyland buses but -

"AshokLeyland Viking"

you are right. signature changed!

[CasperRider]

Raj,
hearty congratulations. I have been waiting for the pics since you announced you would post them, and I'm glad that you did. Well done and your buses are really beautiful. I wish you the very best for your business and will make sure to ping you when I visit Ernakulam next time, to take a real look at those beautys.

One thing that that I don't see you have mentioned, don't you need to get a an initial checking and approval by the RTO and other govt agencies? I'm sure you would have done it, but was interested in knowing how did that gymnastic go?

Again, this was one of the most interesting thread I've seen in T BHP. Thanks again!

CasperRider

[advaitlele]

Congratulations Raj. And all the best for the venture.

This is surely one of the best ownership threads on the forum. . Great going. Keep the thread live by posting initial running review, first service review and so on.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by CasperRider

Raj,
hearty congratulations. I have been waiting for the pics since you announced you would post them, and I'm glad that you did. Well done and your buses are really beautiful. I wish you the very best for your business and will make sure to ping you when I visit Ernakulam next time, to take a real look at those beautys.

thanks mate.

sure, do ping me & if i am in ernakulam, we can meet as well.

One thing that that I don't see you have mentioned, don't you need to get a an initial checking and approval by the RTO and other govt agencies? I'm sure you would have done it, but was interested in knowing how did that gymnastic go?

yes, since you have mentioned this, i would state all the legal formalities too.

Originally Posted by advaitlele

Congratulations Raj. And all the best for the venture.

This is surely one of the best ownership threads on the forum. . Great going. Keep the thread live by posting initial running review, first service review and so on.

yes, i'll update this thread from time to time.




As CasperRider suggested, here are the legal formalities to be done for the registration of the bus-

kerela has it own set of rules for registration of these type of buses-

1) bus should have a speed governor with a speed limit of 60 kmph.
2) bus should have a first aid kit,
3) bus should have white reflectors in the front & red reflectors in the rear bumper.
4) it should have "contract carriage" written in yellow in front.
5) number plates has to be painted & should NOT be stickers.

if all these are met, you are approved of a reg number.

some other info-

1) passenger tax is Rs. 750/- quarterly for a single seat, so in my case, that is Rs. 750x50 quarterly.
2) Vehicle tax & permit comes to Rs. 3500/- quarterly. (Adding both, approx Rs. 41,000 quarterly)
3) if the vehicle has to travel outside kerela state, permit charges is Rs. 450 per seat for bucket seat like ours & Rs. 650/seat if the bus has pushback/reclining seats.
4) Insurance, RTO, etc. charges extra as applicable.

Tools & lubricants for the bus:
1) an 18 ton jack
2) spanner set
3) wheel spanner
4) spanner rod
5) screw driver, etc all of the above costed close to Rs. 5000/-
6) coolant
7) Power steering oil
8) grease

then some additional items like-
1) brush
2) floor mop
3) bucket
4) floor mat
5) car shampoo
6) glass cleaning wipers & solutions, etc.

[CasperRider]

Thanks Raj. That's another set of great details. Please keep posting updates.

[Cartman]

Hi Raj! The buses look nothing short of beautiful! Congratulations..

Btw, I thought you liked Priyanka..

[raj_5004]

thanks cartman.

yeah, the next AC bus would be named priyanka!!!

[tsk13]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

2) it no longer has the push button type starter. you twist the key to start the bus like in any car!

Congrats Raj. By the way, the key twist start is there on AL for long.

[raj_5004]

oh, i dint know that tsk. as i said, i am a newbie!

[kavesh55]

The pictures look great. Just had certain queries, you mentioned that chassis alone costed 9.5 lakhs, why so expensive there is hardly anything that they provide with the chassis. Kerala is known for expert body workers, are there no options there.
is this model which is the same as the new MUTP buses in Mumbai, they are quite powerful I must say.

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by kavesh55

is this model which is the same as the new MUTP buses in Mumbai, they are quite powerful I must say.

This is not the same model. Mumbai MUTPs are Viking SLF (semi low floor) BS-3s, which churn out 165 odd bhp. Raj's buses are not SLF, and their power is 112-113 bhp.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by kavesh55

The pictures look great.

thanks kavesh.

Just had certain queries, you mentioned that chassis alone costed 9.5 lakhs, why so expensive there is hardly anything that they provide with the chassis.

even i was shocked initially as i thought the chassis would come at max 6-7 lakhs. but yes, this is the price and tata chassis cost a bit less. why is it so expensive? i have no answer!!!

Kerala is known for expert body workers, are there no options there.

in kerela, i have heard about many body makers and have seen many buses from Ojes. but at the same time, i have heard that nothing can beat Prakash in terms of build quality, fit & finish & also resale value. Ojes bodies are known to be heavier & starts rattling in due course.

is this model which is the same as the new MUTP buses in Mumbai, they are quite powerful I must say.

frankly, i dont know!

[tsk13]

Raj, I'm in the same league as you although since childhood I've been fascinated with buses. I loved Tata's and despised AL's for their weird front and noise. Just that I travelled to and fro from schools for 13 years in various Tata's and AL's I'm aware of this ignition system. I asked one of the Tata driver's how they switched off the engine and was surprised that one has to pull the accelerator. I suppose now one can switch off Tata's just like a car.

This knowledge on account of travelling was very useful in my brother's case as he caught hold of a Bus driver who bruised against his car and sped. The bus slowed down and my brother (he left his car and ran behind the bus, Thank God car was safe) removed the keys of the Delhi Transport Corporation's AL from the lower window (meant for ventilation, window is placed at the lower level of the driver side door). Since he for long sat at the seat just behind or very near to the driver during his schooldays he knew where the ignition key is actually put.

Wishing you a profitable venture with many more great buses to join your fleet and serving the society.