Another Sharma Volvo B9R accident - this time at Haveri

See the Davanagere accident HERE

See all Volvo / Mercedes accidents HERE

The Sharma Volvo B9R multi-axle accident at Davanagere isnt the only one. Another one happened at Haveri involving another Sharma Volvo B9R bus.

This accident occurred when the Bangalore bound Mumbai - Bangalore Sharma multi-axle Volvo bus tried to avoid the sudden entering of a three-wheeler. This made the driver loose control which resulted in the bus toppling over. This crash happened near Haveri around 8:00am .3 persons were said to have been found dead in this accident.

The Sharma Volvo B9R bus before the accident
Pic - Putta, Davanagere

The same bus after the accident |
Pic - Sunil Kumar

The same bus after the accident
Pic - Sunil Kumar

Another Sharma Volvo accident - this time in Davanagere

Before we start, here is the LINK to the first ever Mercedes Benz bus crash that was owned by Sharma Travels - SEE

Secondly, to see more than a dozen other Volvo / Mercedes bus accidents, see THIS

Here is another Sharma multi-axle Volvo B9R accident report. Sharma Volvo is one of the regulars on the Mumbai - Bangalore route but this time, the Bangalore bound bus met with a fatal fate. This accident happened on the 1st September 2011 around 7:30am near Davangere, 260km short of Bangalore on NH4, when reportedly a KSRTC bus suddenly took turn to enter the Holalkere village road. The conductor of KSRTC bus has been dead in this accident. As of now, we don't know what happened to the passengers of the Volvo bus!

The Sharma Volvo B9R multi-axle bus before the crash Pic - Putta, davanagere

The same bus after the accident!
Pic - Sunil Sharma

SVR multi-axle Volvo B9R bus drowns in a canal

View more than a dozen earlier accidents involving Volvo and Mercedes HERE

In August, an AP registerted multi-axle Volvo B9R bus belonging to SVR Travels almost drowned in a canal in Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh. Here are the pictures!

View more than a dozen earlier accidents involving Volvo and Mercedes HERE

Pic - Sunil Kumar

The best Volvo bus video ever!

We have seen various Volvo bus, both B7R and B9R version videos but this has to be the best one ever. Made by Inner Eye Films, the video shows a presentation and feedback on the Volvo B9R or the Volvo multi-axle bus. The video is pretty long but worth a watch - increase the volume or wear ear-phones please!
The video also shows a few shots of the smaller B7R through the snowy roads of Manali!
To see our other Volvo videos, see our Youtube Channel HERE

Haryana Roadways Volvo bus accident

See all 14 previous accidents HERE
In yet another case of the high end luxury buses being involved in accidents, this time the news has come from North India. A Haryana Roadways Volvo bus, operating between Chandigarh and Gurgaon via Delhi was hit by a speeding truck from behind on 9th October 2011.

It is learnt that the Volvo bus was first hit by truck on one of the flyovers between Ambala and Delhi. The driver, conductor and one of the passengers got down to see the damage when unfortunately, another truck from behind rammed the bus - the truck was speeding and the impact was so high that the bus moved forward, killing the conductor behind resting into a side ditch - thankfully it didnt overturn - which could have hurt other passengers as well!

Another VRL Volvo accident leaves 4 dead!

There has been a recent rise in accident involving the high end luxury Volvo and Mercedes buses - see all 13 accidents HERE



Here is an update on the Mangalore - Mumbai VRL multi-axle Volvo that happened on 14th October 2011. The VRL Volvo left Mangalore at 1pm and the accident happened 12km from Ankola after it fell into a deep gorge. There are different versions regarding the cause of the accident. One of them says the bus rolled over into a deep gorge while attempting to give way to another vehicle, while another says it happened so after hitting a bridge. Yet another version says it first collided with a lorry. As the accident happened in a remote area, there was no mobile connectivity as well!

Picture - mangalorean.com

Another Mercedes Bus accident : Nagpur to Pune route

We have shared with you videos and pictures of various Mercedes Benz and Volvo bus accidents in India - SEE ALL
Here is another Mercedes Bus accident, this time the single axle bus, that was run by Girkikand Travels from Nagpur to Pune. Thanks to bokanglock, here is a low-down on this Girikand Travels' Mercedes Bus :

The bus was said to be coming to Nagpur to Pune and a tyre burst at Maltan Phata resulting in loss of control and the bus the jumping the divider. It later went into a ditch at high speed and the crash resulted in death of 3 passengers with serious injuries to 17 passengers.

Thanks to bokanglock, here is a video as well

Volvo B9R multi-axle bus caught doing 130+ on its speedometer

We have spoken enough on the high end luxury buses in India and their capabilities to do high speeds. In fact, we have caught these buses on camera on numerous occasions like :http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
1. Two Volvo B7R buses racing at 125km/h
2. The Mercedes tri-axle bus doing 130km/h

Recently, thanks to our reader Sujith VG, we came across this video taken by a person "Madhuanton" of a Volvo multiaxle bus (we guess its the KPN B9R on this route) on the Madurai to Bangalore route doing crazy speeds on the highway. Look at the way it overtakes other buses! In the end of the video clip, you can clearly see the speedometer needle going past the 120km/h mark and even the 130km/h indicator! Now that's something. Dangerous or sheer ability of a Volvo bus? Feel free to comment....

Neeta Travels' Mercedes tri-axle bus' Mumbai-Goa accident

Before we start, here are the previous Mercedes bus accidents in India
1. The first ever Mercedes bus accident in India
2. Neeta's Mercedes bus crash between Hyderabad and Mumbai
3. See all Volvo and Mercedes Benz crashes till date





Thanks to our reader Vikram, here are more details on the Neeta Tours and Travel's Mercedes multiaxle bus crash that happened on the Mumbai-Goa route.
According to Vikram, the accident happened on the morning of this easter Sunday (third week of April) while the Mercedes bus was on its way to Mumbai from Goa. Around 100 kms before a place called Pen, around 6AM in the morning, Vikram was woken up due to frantic calls of people yelling at the driver who had lost control of the bus on a curve. By the time he woke up, the bus ran off the road into the field and the ride got very rough. He held tight to the seat and within a few secs, the left of the bus hit a tree. The tree fell on one side and the bus overturned onto the driver side. Luckily he was on the conductor side so escaped with minor bruises. However, lots of people were injured badly but thankfully, there was no causality.

These newer generation Mercedes Benz (and Volvo) buses are safe and hence its good to see there was no fatalities. However, at the same time, there has been an increase in such bad accidents involving these buses nowadays. We guess its time that Mercedes and Volvo started having a regular check on the kind of drivers who drive these buses!

KSRTC's Multi axle Volvo (Club Class) Bangalore to Pune

Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, KSRTC, is one of the largest users of Volvo buses in India. They have now started the Multi Axle Volvo B9R service from Bangalore to Pune and Mumbai under the name Club Class.

These KSRTC Volvo B9R buses will leave from Shantinagar Bus station and pass via Kempe Gowda Bus station. The bus to Mumbai will leave Shantinagar at 2 p.m. and from Kempe Gowda Bus station at 3 p.m. It will reach Mumbai the next day at 9.45 a.m. In the return direction, it will leave Mumbai at 3 p.m. and reach Bangalore the next day at 9.45 a.m. The buses to Pune will leave Shantinagar at 6 p.m. and Kempe Gowda Bus stand at 7 p.m. to reach Pune at 9.45 a.m.

Pictures of beautiful National Travels Volvo buses

Volvo buses do look cool and beautiful but there are certain operators in India who love making them even better! Take for instance National Travels and their fleet of Volvo B7R and B9R (single axle and multi-axle buses).

Some of the nicely done examples are:

1. The "PAKEEZAH" Volvo Multi-axle B9R National Travels bus:







2. The "MUGHAL-E-AAZAM" Volvo B9R multi-axle National Travels bus:






3. The "KAAJAL" Volvo B7R single-axle National Travels bus:



4. The "TAJ MAHAL" Volvo B7R single-axle National Travels bus:



5. The "MUMTAZ MAHAL" Volvo B7R single-axle National Travels bus:

KSRTC's paperless e-ticket system and its shortcomings

KSRTC is the single largest user of Volvo B7R and B9R buses in India and the corporation is known for its strength in this area. They also have a very strong e-ticket website and they recently offered the paperless e-ticket wherein a passenger has to show just his PNR number and an ID proof to travel in a KSRTC bus. However, recently, Bangaloremirror came across a case that showed the inadequacy of the KSRTC staff.

Techie Asaque Ahmed suffered badly when he booked an e-ticket and wanted to travel from Chikmagalur to Bangalore in a KSRTC Volvo bus. However, the lady conductor was totally uncooperative and did not have a clue about e-tickets. He even logged on to the KSRTC website and showed the ticket booking, but she was not convinced and started shouting and demanding a printout at 12 in the night.

The conductor later took Asaque to the supervisor but he was just as ignorant about e-tickets.
The conductor insisted that he buy a ticket if he wanted to board the bus. Ahmed registered his complaint the next day through the KSRTC website but hasn’t yet heard from them.

K A Rajkumar, director, operations, KSRTC, told Bangalore Mirror, “Before taking up the new initiative, we sent instructions to all the conductors and received an acknowledgment from them. I do not how the conductor did not receive the letter. We are certainly going to take action against her if she is at fault. This should not have happened.”

So you think Volvo and Mercedes buses are safe? See THIS!

Update: KPN bus accident in Tamil Nadu with pictures

This has to be one of worst accidents in the history of luxury buses in India. Two days back, a KPN air-conditioned luxury bus met with a fatal accident in Tamil Nadu. The KPN Travels owned bus was going from Chennai to Pollachi. The accident happened at Avalurpet village, about 45 km from Vellore.

Atleast 22 people were killed (including seven women and a 10-year-old boy) in the accident involving this KPN bus. Only one passenger and the bus driver had a miraculous escape. The passenger Karthikai Rajam, said he escaped by breaking open a window but couldn't save his wife Smitha. The driver later surrendered himself to the police. It is reported that while trying to avoid hitting another vehicle, the Pollachi-bound KPN Travels bus crashed into the pit near Vellore district close to midnight Tuesday.

This is one of the most gruesome accidents on Tamil Nadu's accident-prone highway. The bus, carrying 23 passengers, swerved to the left and its silencer and diesel tank rammed a culvert before the vehicle fell into the ditch and caught fire at about 10.45 pm on Tuesday. KPN travels has earlier too been involved in fatal accident like THIS

All pictures from http://konidelachiranjeevi.blogspot.com/2011/06/kpn-bus-accident-photos-vellore-bus.html

MSRTC's new Volvo B9R Multi-axle Ashwamedha service

Pic: Kshitij Keer

Pic: Kshitij Keer

MSRTC (Maharasthra State Road Transport Corporation) is known for its Shivneri B7R buses that ply between the two cities of Mumbai and Pune. And now, MSRTC is running the longer, more comfortable and more powerful Volvo B9R Multi-axle buses on the same route - between Dadar and Pune railway station. Needless to say, these buses look eye catching and massive on the road. The good part is that the ticket price remains same as the Shivneri buses at Rs 270!

Pic: Kshitij Keer

Pic source - http://d-blogger-in-me.blogspot.com

Neeta travels' Mercedes triaxle bus accident between Hyderabad and Mumbai

A Mercedes Benz multi-axle / tri-axle luxury bus, run by Neeta Tours, heading to Mumbai from Hyderabad on 1st May 2011 had met with a tragic accident in which five passengers were killed on the spot and 14 others were injured. This happened when the Mercedes bus fell into a gorge near the Naldurg taluka of Osmanabad district. It was reported that the bus driver lost control on the wheel which resulted in the fall of vehicle into the gorge killing five passengers on the spot and injuring more than 14 others.

The deceased were identified as S Prasad, Shriniwas Bhadrakota, Shivkumar Padgir, Deepika Pawankur and Taufik. The age group of victims could not be ascertained as yet, police said. Our condolences to the families of those who passed away.

Here is a video of the same bus by "bokanglock" on youtube.com. Look how Neeta Tours and Travels has rubbed off their brand name from the bus body! Thanks for the pictures to Bokanglock also!



In the past, high speed buses like Volvo and Mercedes have been involved in accidents like these. Click HERE to see all

M&M launches Maxximo Mini Van

Auto maker Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has launched its next generation passenger carrier Maxximo Mini Van in India. Priced at Rs 3.2 lakh , the van has been developed at the company's Chakan plant in Maharashtra. Maxximo Mini Van will compete with Tata Magic and Maruti Omni in the domestic mini van segments.

According to Pawan Goenka , President , M&M Automotive & Farm Equipment Sectors , the van will be sold through 230 dealers and 600 outlets across the country. The company has spent Rs 130 crore to develop Maxximo platform and will spend Rs 70 crore for setting up of manufacturing line. Currently the production capacity at Chakan unit is 2 , 000 vehicles per month.

Equipped with C2 CRDe diesel technology , Maxximo Mini Van has a wide body for more space. The van will offer pulling power of 25 HP and a top speed of more than 70 kmph. The new M&M vehicle promises fuel economy of 18 kmpl.

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Our Volvo and Mercedes bus videos are a hit on Youtube!

Time and again, we have been posting videos taken by us around India on Youtube. And it seems, we are gaining popularity. Here are some of our most viewed videos. Click on the link to view video

1. Two Volvo buses caught speeding at 125km/h - 35,099 hits
2. The MSRTC Shivneri caught speeding - 21,040 hits
3. A rare video of Tata Hispano bus speeding - 16,168 hits
4. The Mercedes multi-axle caught doing 130km/h - 13,057 hits

To see more videos, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/bunnyp1983

Jaipur to Shimla Volvo bus service by RSRTC

Pic: Omnibusalta

Yes indeed. This service has been on for a while now by Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation. They are playing their Volvo bus from Jaipur to Shimla and Shimla to Jaipur via New Delhi.

The RSRTC Volvo bus leaves Jaipur at 9:30pm and arrives in Shimla the next day at approximately 9-10am. The fare for the trip is a very steep Rs 1418! That is Rs 2.3 per km! Compare this with Rs 1200 for a Mumbai-Bangalore 1050km trip.

Tata Divo to take on Volvo and Mercedes Benz buses

The Indian luxury bus market is currently dominated by Volvo with its B7R and B9R range of buses, followed by Mercedes Benz. And now, the local player, Tata Motors, aims to grab a major chunk of this segment with their soon to be launched bus, the Divo - a luxury AC coach meant for intercity long-distance operations. The launch will happen in the first quarter of the next financial year. It is also learnt that currently five Divos are under trail run on the Indian roads.

Tata had earlier experimented with the Hispano model (read HERE) but it seems the sales werent good enough. "This will be an international product at an Indian price. Hence, we will be 10 per cent less expensive than our competitors," said Ashish Tandon, head (marketing, buses).

Divo, whose styling comes from Spanish bodybuilding company Hispano Corracera, is now a fully-owned subsidiary of Tata Motors, is BS-III compliant and powered with a 285-horse power Cummins engine.

The standard variant seats 46 and can be customised according to passenger and operator requirements. He said the company was expecting to sell 300 units.

WORTH A READ
1. Neeta gives Mercedes its biggest order ever

Neeta tours picks up 30 Mercedes buses including multi-axle

Mercedes is finally getting the recognition and sales it deserves for its bus range.
A significant deal comprising 30 units of 2-axle and 10 units of 3-axle coaches with Neeta Tours & Travels was announced today. The first lot of the handover comprising 11 buses was done at the Mercedes-Benz India plant at Chakan, Pune.

Emphasizing the ‘Travel with the Star’ experience, Mr. Peter Honegg, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes- Benz India Ltd. handed over the keys of the eleven 2- axle coaches to Mr. Anil Savla & Sunil Savla of Neeta Tours and Travels. The Mercedes-Benz Coach incorporates the hallmarks of the Mercedes-Benz brand. These include high standards of safety, comfort, reliability and quality that is aimed to make the travel experience of the commuters a cherished one.

Commenting on the deal, Mr. Sunil Savla, Owner, Neeta Tours & Travels said, “Our current fleet of Mercedes-Benz buses cumulatively has excellent on road performance and has had better revenue realisation than other coaches. This has convinced us in our decision to purchase the new set of 40 more Mercedes-Benz buses; with this our fleet of Mercedes Buses will go to up to 60. The customer feedback has been extremely positive for these buses and the reliability and comfort of a Mercedes-Benz bus remains unmatched.”