[Spinnerr]

Here is my take

They are targeting working (incl IT) professionals, managers and heads who don’t have a lot time to spare, but wants to land in Chennai on time.

Compared to taking the flight I think this not only saves time, and is also cheaper. With almost all the comforts, may be more, cuz with the wi-fi connectivity you can get some work done too.

Take for instance the time taken to travel to the Bangalore airport on a busy evening, and one has to reach the airport at least an hour earlier for the checkin / security formalities. They spend a similar number of hours to reach the destination after landing.

With Luxuria you are saving on all that, and the ride should be pretty comfortable, it’s a multi axel bus with great seats. Then there a toilet, wi-fi, snacks. Pretty much everything.

I think the concept is great, they have targeted the right audience. With some corporate tie-ups, and if they can keep the buses and their waiting lounge in the same top-notch condition, they really are gonna CHOMP a chunk of air travelers soon.

Time will tell.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by Daewood

17 years back the Tamilnadu Gov owned JJTC (bought with a world bank loan) had toilets in their AC buses.
But the toilets was removed after 6 months, due to smell and other practical problems.

When I was a kid, I used to take the TTC bus from Trivandrum to Madras in the year 1974 - it had a toilet! And the KeSRTC used to run the "Terraplane" bus with a toilet between Trivandrum and Ernakulam.

And my friend tells me that in the year 1969 there used to be private bus between Bangalore and KGF with a toilet!

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by Daewood

17 years back the Tamilnadu Gov owned JJTC (bought with a world bank loan) had toilets in their AC buses.
But the toilets was removed after 6 months, due to smell and other practical problems.

Those JJTC buses were far ahead of their time in terms of luxury, with plush seats, good interiors, coffee makers, free magazines, 2 attendants, etc. Sadly as soon as a Government change happened, the corporation was disbanded.

JJTC, yes was a dream project of Jeyalalitha and was launched called as J.Jeyalalitha Transport Corporation. Though there were so many comfort features available the system as a whole was a failure. The driver were freshly recruited and the specific transport buses alone met with so many accidents and subsequently that was running with loses. Later when the DMK Govt came in 1996 that was renamed as Rajiv Gandhi Transport Corporation(RGTC). Then when Karunanithi went in for renaming all the transport corporation with just their divisions, this RGTC was merged with TTC and later came with a single name as SETC.

[esteem_lover]

JJTC was ahead of it's times. I remember these buses used to stand out from the other regular buses, but were driven very rash and also stood out for the most number of mishaps on the road.

[callvvijay]

Even worser than JJTC was Thiruvalluvar Transport Corporation. Actually, JJTC was formed by bifurcating TTC.
TTC had very high number of accidents. In fact, me and my family were also a victim of one of the many accidents of TTC.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by callvvijay

Even worser than JJTC was Thiruvalluvar Transport Corporation. Actually, JJTC was formed by bifurcating TTC.
TTC had very high number of accidents. In fact, me and my family were also a victim of one of the many accidents of TTC.

The seating position of the driver in these TTC buses was pathetic. They sit on rock hard seats bending down to hold the steering with their feet hardly reaching the pedals. I always felt how 40 odd people trust their lives to this kind of a situation and sleep peacefully.

[manjubp]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

I always felt how 40 odd people trust their lives to this kind of a situation and sleep peacefully.

We believe in GOD. Since one many not be able to take care all of us(we are Billion+), we have Million of them

[libranof1987]

FYI..

Luxuria has an office on Outer Ring Road.. in between HSR signal and Silk Board signal..

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by callvvijay

Actually, JJTC was formed by bifurcating TTC.

AFAIK, JJTC had a brand new fleet of vehicles and not just got bifurcated from TTC..

[ram.west]

Spotted the Luxuria Bus outside Quality Inn Sabari, Navalur, Chennai.

[Jaggu]

Oh wow these are parked close to my house in HSR, anybody tried them out? Works well for the visa trips for the IT guys i guess.

[AlphaKilo]

Volvo has recently launched its "Airavat Club Class" service. Intially between Bangalore-Hyderabad, Bangalore-Chennai and Bangalore-Mumbai. Well though not so luxurious as Luxuria, but do check out their adv. They say sleep like a baby even at <b>100KmpH</b>

Isnt our highway speed limit restricted to 80KmpH except on Mum-Pune express highway?

[AlphaKilo]

Find below the links for the all new Airavat Club class which will be directly taking on the Luxuria.

::K.S.R.T.C::

http://ksrtc.in/pdf/multiaxle_english.pdf

[barathvajan]

Hi guys,

Though the buses do appeal to me ( i still plan to travel on one the moment i get a chance to travel officially), I still feel that its way too costlier. As someone quoted Rs 1000 to 1200 would be fine. Though they provide food and features like wifi connectivity, my question is that a guy who travels in shatabti first class with a photon+ or net connect would almost get the same benefit at a lesser price and plus you get a toilet. One more advantage with train is that you reach the destination almost on time irrespective of the traffic jams which may plague luxuria once it reaches city limits.

[Ashley2]

Chennai, Dec. 21
Chennai-based commercial vehicles company, Ashok Leyland Ltd, which has been making and selling buses and trucks for more than six decades, has won a suit filed in the Madras High Court against infringement of its registered trade mark ‘LUXURA' by two firms, one in Bangalore and the other in Mumbai.

Mr Justice V. Ramasubramanian, who heard the suit, ruled that “allowing the first defendant (Blue Hill Logistics Pvt Ltd, Bangalore) to continue to infringe would result in irreparable loss and injury to the plaintiff and would also embolden the commission of infringement by others.”

In his 31-page order delivered on Tuesday, the judge said that the balance of convenience was also in favour of the plaintiff and the denial of an order of injunction would cause irreparable loss and injury to the company.
Adopted in 2006

The plaintiff contended that it adopted a trademark known as ‘LUXURA' in relation to commercial vehicles in 2006 and obtained registration of the said trademark on April 20, 2007. It launched the LUXURA bus during the Auto Expo held in January 2006 in Delhi. When in August 2010 it came across information that 2 {+n} {+d} defendant (Dilip Chhabria Design Pvt Ltd., Mumbai) had designed and engineered a business class bus under trademark ‘LUXURA/LUXURIA', it issued legal notice calling upon the second defendant to cease and desist and it replied stating that it did not own the said vehicle.
The plaintiff, after making further enquiries, issued another cease and desist notice on November 30, 2010, but despite the notice, Dilip Chhabria Design proceeded with the launch of the bus under trade name ‘LUXURIA' on November 12, 2010. The plaintiff said it also came to know that another company — Blue Hill Logistics — was the one that proposed to market the buses under the trademark ‘LUXURIA'. The plaintiff said it was therefore constrained to file the suit against that company for infringement and passing off and for various consequential reliefs.

Blue Hill Logistics said the service mark adopted by it was preceded by image of a luxurious reclining seat and that both words ‘LUXURA' and ‘LUXURIA' were derived from the generic word ‘LUXURY'. The plaintiff could not claim monopoly over the word ‘LUXURY'.

‘Exclusive right'
The judge ruled it was clear that plaintiff had obtained registration of word ‘LUXURA' in respect of goods falling under Class 12. Hence, it had the exclusive right to use of the trademark. The mark adopted by Blue Hill Logistics was the word ‘LUXURIA' along with the device of a reclining chair. Certainly, the mark adopted by the first defendant was similar to registered trademark of the plaintiff.

The fact that the plaintiff had a reputation in India could not be disputed, the judge added. The fact was that the bus under brand name ‘LUXURA' was launched in 2006, which was reported in leading newspapers. The AP State Road Transport Corporation had also bought buses carrying the registered trademark of the plaintiff. Therefore, prima facie, it appeared that the registered trademark of the plaintiff had a reputation in India.
The judge held that from the pleadings of the plaintiff the use of similar mark, namely, ‘LUXURIA', by Blue Hill Logistics would certainly tend to take undue advantage of, and was also detrimental to, the reputation of the registered trademark of the plaintiff. “Therefore, I hold that the plaintiff has established a prima facie case.” Allowing the first defendant to continue to infringe would result in irreparable loss and injury to the plaintiff and would also embolden commission of infringement by others.
In view of the above, the applications for injunctions by the plaintiff were allowed.

Source : The Hindu Business Line : Thursday, December 23, 2010