[Transsenger]

Originally Posted by girishglg

The point is that Volvo was for sure the first and the only manufacturer who brought in a fully Air conditioned rear engined bus for inter city travel in India (the bold letters are absolutely in context)

It would be correct to say, the first commercially successfull fully a/c RE intercity bus is by Volvo, since the first fully a/c rear engined bus for intercity application in India was brought by Ashok Leyland, well before Volvo stepped in. Volvo surely has the credit of being the game changer in this segment.

[TheARUN]

The main problem with the VOLVO is that the EMI is not viable. That's the reason KALLADA runs its latest B7R for 1400 kilometers per day between Ernakulam and Bangalore to recover the seat cost

I think mileage can be improved by using a light right foot. The Drivers have to drive within a fixed RPM, most of them drive them like a sports carThey accelerate hard from low speeds and maintain very high top speeds for long durations

[Transsenger]

Originally Posted by Transsenger

It would be correct to say, the first commercially successfull fully a/c RE intercity bus is by Volvo, since the first fully a/c rear engined bus for intercity application in India was brought by Ashok Leyland, well before Volvo stepped in. Volvo surely has the credit of being the game changer in this segment.

A/c rear engined air suspension intercity buses were there from as early as 1994. Here is a report in the "ALNEWS - Vol XXVI No:3, 1994", about the launch of Panther bus by one tour operator in AP. (sorry for poor pic quality)
Could not find any better pictures of this model in the net, but one such model can be seen here - https://picasaweb.google.com/1111779...05787630394898

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by girishglg

There are also instances where many private operators (Diwakars or Kesineni- I am not very sure of the name here, please correct) in states like AP who replaced or opted for an all Volvo fleet shows how it changed the game...

Kesineni and Divakar have a good numbers of AL 12M buses - Not just old ones but continuously replacing / updating with newer ones.

AFAIK, Neeta, Konduskar are two big operators who have only Volvo/MB in their fleet. Konduskar may enter value segment with 12M in near future.

[Ashley2]

This is LPO 1618 running between Chennai - Hyderabad.
It has 20 berths - 2 Tier like in Trains - Thats the reason for the Tag - Executive Sleeper!!

[TheARUN]

AZAD makes the bus bodies that bear the closest resemblance to VOLVO, maybe it helps that they previously were the preferred body builder for VOLVO

[ssdubai]

Originally Posted by GTO

The bigger deal to me is, how on earth did Volvo convince bus operators, during the early days, to pay multiple times the price of competitors? This extends not only to buses but even trucks. I mean, that same truck operator could buy a Tata at 1/2 or 1/3rd the price. Obviously Volvo sold them on the value component (and not necessarily price), still its a case study in the making. I mean, these are the kind of operators who would think twice before ordering a premium cup of tea at 8 bucks, instead of the "regular kadak" at 4 bucks.

Volvo deserves credit for raising the bar in India, when it comes to trucks & buses.

Well, a possible scenario.
Volvo in fact lured the end user (the passenger) through a true Bus Chassis that provided comfort and ease of travel in a scenario where domestic players with Buses built on truck chassis ruled the game.The Passengers in turn "demanded for Volvo Tickets" forcing the Operators to go in for purchase.The Operators in turn charged a premium price tag which the Public accepted.The Result - A win-win for the Passenger as well as the Operators.
A Silent winner in this game was the good old Driver, who for the first time shifted a gear without going to the gym.
Volvo by its innovative approach transformed the Transport Industry landscape in India once and for ever. After all one hears people say these days proudly "I took a Volvo".

[ssdubai]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

The main problem with the VOLVO is that the EMI is not viable. That's the reason KALLADA runs its latest B7R for 1400 kilometers per day between Ernakulam and Bangalore to recover the seat cost

I think mileage can be improved by using a light right foot. The Drivers have to drive within a fixed RPM, most of them drive them like a sports carThey accelerate hard from low speeds and maintain very high top speeds for long durations

A point to be noted.There is also a mammoth luggage space which is a real revenue generator.May be we need to factor the same too.

[Ashley2]

How on earth people are thinking of fixing something like this!

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

This is LPO 1618 running between Chennai - Hyderabad.
It has 20 berths - 2 Tier like in Trains - Thats the reason for the Tag - Executive Sleeper!]

Interesting!! how about some pictures of the interior, which would really be more relevant to the post.

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Interesting!! how about some pictures of the interior, which would really be more relevant to the post.

Interiors are similar to this but not this high quality. They were little crappy.
There were 6 compartments and each has 4 berth in this manner (total 24 berths). But TV's are only one for each compartment and none of them were working. In AP this is the only possible way to register sleeper coaches!
These are taken from Kesineni Travels.

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

How on earth people are thinking of fixing something like this!

APSRTC is the worst culprit when it comes to fitting such ugly looking contraptions. See some examples: (The last one is a Kallada). The first and second images show the same bus

[girishglg]

This is for sure really unwanted. Why on earth do these guys fit more lights onto these beauties. Anyone has any idea on the electrical such as headlight of the Volvo buses.

Does not Volvo engineer enough to provide sufficient lighting to its vehicles (personally don't think so)? Is it because the original lights are under served or it is just these guys defacing them?

[navan49]

It is a great success in India for VOLVO capturing the high end bus travel market. In fact the No 1 advantage of VOLVO is the smooth suspension which keep us in comfort while travel. Well distributed AC vents.The smooth seats makes smoother with the good suspensors.

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by girishglg

Does not Volvo engineer enough to provide sufficient lighting to its vehicles (personally don't think so)? Is it because the original lights are under served or it is just these guys defacing them?

I guess its more due to the cost of replacing dead lamps. These local lamps are cheaper to get, and its easy to change bulbs as well - compared to the expensive set-up that comes OE with a Volvo. In fact, many established players have replaced the OE lamp set with conventional headlamp clusters.