KSRTC gets the Volvo 9400PX 14.5m bus for testing

First shown to the Indian public early this year, Volvo has finally commenced trials of India’s longest and first14.5 Luxury Coach – the Volvo 9400PX bus. KSRTC or Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation is using the Volvo 9400PX multi-axle bus on the Bangalore - Mysore route. This bus comes with features like:
1. First bus in India with a steerable tag-axle for better manoeuvrability
2. Comes equipped with the Volvo I-shift automated transmission as standard
3. The Volvo 9400PX is built on the new light-weight Volvo PX platform, which provides even better grade ability and acceleration as well as enhanced stability larger luggage space.
4. The new coach also offers a much higher performance like never before with the new Volvo 11-litre engine that offers 370hp.
5. The Volvo 9400PX’s spacious interiors offer a range of opportunities for customers to incorporate a variety of passenger conveniences from pantry, toilet, VOD and a range of other features – for smooth long-distance travel.

Volvo not only started the concept of luxury buses in India but also rules the segment with its single axle and multi-axle B7R and B9R buses covering the length and breadth of India every day and night! Expect the new 9400PX to rule long distance routes in the coming few months as well! 

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.

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!

KSRTC gets own Mercedes luxury buses

Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has now inducted Mercedes-Benz buses in its fleet: Mr. R. Ashok, Chairman and Mr. Gaurav Gupta, M.D, KSRTC was handed-over the keys of KSRTC’s Mercedes-Benz Luxury Two axle coaches by Dr. Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India.

The KSRTC Mercedes buses will run on the following routes

Bangalore-Mysore : 07:40hrs, 08:40hrs, 17:10hrs, 17:30hrs ( Fare: Rs:260/-)
Mysore- Bangalore: 12:10hrs, 12:40hrs, 20:30hrs, 20:50hrs ( Fare: Rs:260/-)

Bangalore-Shimoga: 10:00hrs, 14:00hrs (Fare: Rs 416/-)
Shimoga-Bangalore: 23:00hrs, 23:30hrs (Fare: 416/-)

Bangalore-Tirupathi: 10:45 hrs, 23:00hrs (Fare: 370/- and Rs 400/-)
Tirupathi-Bangalore: 12:15hrs, 23:15hrs

Bangalore-Chennai: 23:40 (Fare: Rs: 620)
Chennai:Bangalore: 22:25

Bangalore-Hyderabad: 20:40(Fare: Rs 780)
Hyderabad-Bangalore: 17:30

Reader Feedback: KSRTC Mangalore to Hyderabad

By: Deepak Sarvade

Route: Mangalore-Hyderabad
Operator name: KSRTC (trip 1601MNGHYD & return 1705HYDMNG)
Bus brand: Volvo 9400 4x2 (B7R) -Mark III
Month of travel: June 2010
Short experience: Met expectations

Rating:
· Bus Interiors: 4.75/5;
· Bus Exteriors: 4.0/5;
· Crew Service Courtesy: 4.75/5;
· Drive experience: 4.0/5;
· In-bus Entertainment: 4.5/5;



I had booked on this service from ‘Udupi’ To Hyderbad (MGBS drop). I had booked sheet no: 26 (in new KSRTC 9400 series; the emergency door is here and get superb leg-space. The bus was scheduled to arrive at 17:15 hrs, and it arrived & left at 17:30. The KSRTC drivers focus on Fuel efficiency and a steady speed is maintained. At Kundapura, they stopped around for evening tea around 18:15 hrs. After the snacks the bus steered out and the movie that was played - Chachi 420. At around 21:30 hrs the bus stopped for dinner at Kamat Upahaar , Ankola. This seems to be a decent place.

With driving change, the bus departed at 22:00 and by 00:15 hours crossed Hubli old bus stand (no pickup or drop). By 3:00 hrs this stopped at Koppal outskirt for driving change. The bus reached Raichur at 5:00 hrs. When I got-up it was around 6:45 hrs and the bus was crossing Mahbubnagar town and since it was not raining the sun rays did not make me to sleep further. The bus stopped for morning tea at Jadcherla (not called for) for 30 mins at 7:15hrs & reached MGBS by 9:15 hrs as expected. Though the KSRTC time is 9:45 hrs; there were times when this bus has reached MGBS at 7:30 hrs.

The monsoon plays havoc on NH17 killing the road & increases the travel time.

If KSRTC updates the service to B9R it would be fun, to see the competition on road between Kesineni and KSRTC. The rumor is that soon this service would be updated to B9R.

Now this service has both pick-up and drop at Manipal. So students travelling to Manipal from Hyderbad need to select Udupi and then drop or pick point as ‘Manipal bus stand’.

KSRTC has added another service from Mangalore to Hyderabad & back (1300MNGHYD & 1230HYDMNG), this service was going full in May. With Kesineni this service is not full, not sure how long the additional service would be in place.

For more Reader Feedbacks, CLICK HERE

KSRTC: Single driver scheme results in an accident

In December 2008, we had put a post about untrained drivers driving KSRTC Volvos - READ. Recently, the same transport undertaking's Volvo met with an accident, which could have been a deadly one. Why - KSRTC decided to run its B7R Airavat on the Hyderabad - Bangalore route with just one driver one board.
We believe due to fatigue, the driver couldn't pay attention on the road ahead. Here is Mr Sanram's account - a passenger on the same bus

Hi all,
I have escaped a near fatal incident yesterday night, which could have been easily avoided.

Details: KSRTC volvo Airavat from hyderbad to bangalore, start:20.00hrs from JBS.
Single driver. Around 3am, we were woken up by two forceful jolts. The confused passengers could smell diesel, and heard words, "get down" and "diesel leak". And while getting down, we saw diesel flowing under our feet. By the time everyone got down, the tank was empty, and bus was in a pool of diesel.

Reasons: The driver didn't take the necessary diversion, and went above the big boulders on the blocked road. Not sure if there was any road divert sign board. within the 40 min desperate wait for reaching help from KSRTC depot, we saw all other buses,cars correctly taking the diversion. It is said that the driver was new to this route. One small spark while braking would have been sufficient to burn us all with the 200litres odd capacity of the fuel tank.
Finally we had stopped a passing by Rajahamsa bus, which happened to be empty enough to accomodate us all.

Since we had an escape, this incident might not be reported anywhere, but we the passengers know that we had such a close encounter, and just feel lucky for being alive.
1.So isnt it the KSRTC's resposnibilty to properly train/guide about the route?
2. Had there been co-driver, there are much chances of spotting the whole road blocked with big boulders, in case one of them just didnt notice due to any reasons.

Why not follow all safety rules, instead of condemning, inquiring, and giving compensation after the such fatal incidents happen?

KSRTC has often been priased for its customer service and buses. But events like these don't really go well with their reputation.

INTERESTED AND RELATED READS:
1. KSRTC to buy ten B9R buses
2. New Mercedes multi-axle bus caught on test
3. KSRTC's route map for B7R buses

KSRTC to purchase 10 Volvo B9R buses

Pic: ksrtcblog.com

KSRTC is known for its huge fleet of Volvo B7R buses. After the successful trial of the multi-axle or the B9R Volvos, the state government has decided to go ahead with the order of ten brand new B9Rs.
The main advantage is that the B9R, due to its added length can carry eight more passengers - a total of 53 as compared to 45 for the B7R. However it should be noted that private operators are running their B9Rs with one row less or 49 seats, hence increasing leg space.

INTERESTED READS:
1. New Mercedes multi-axle caught on test

KSRTC's Mumbai(Borivali) to Bangalore Volvo bus to skip Pune city

This had to happen and in my opinion is the right move by KSRTC. It has now been decided that the Volvo B7R buses running between Borivali (Mumbai) and Bangalore will not enter Pune city. Instead they will follow NH4 all the way to Katraj, take a right and continue on the highway. This has been done to minimize wastage of time. Earlier these buses used to enter Pune and waste a good hour. There are currently three buses departing from Borivali at 1pm, 3:30pm and 7pm. Passengers boarding from Pune will have to come to Wonder City, Katraj for the pick-up.

KSRTC's Airavat Volvo route map

Here is a (click to expand) route map of KSRTC's Volvo Airavat service. KSRTC is the biggest (correct me if i am wrong) user of Volvo's B7R (and now B9R) buses in India. As seen in the map, KSRTC is now operating its Volvo service across five different states

(Click to expand)

KSRTC Airavat Volvo experience : Bangalore to Pune route

After taking the MSRTC Shiveri Volvo from Pune to Davanagere (read HERE), I took KSRTC's Airavat Volvo back to Pune. The booking was done online and I had to pay the complete Bangalore-Pune fare for my Davanagere-Pune journey - Rs 923. I got seat no 1 : my favorite seat.

Although the ticket mentioned the departure time to be 7:35pm, having taken this bus on numerous occasions, I knew it wouldnt come before 8:00pm. And i was right - it came only at 8:15pm.

Being a weekday, the bus wasnt full. The good thing was that seat no 2 was empty which meant I had a relaxing time all the way to Pune. The bus took a 30min dinner break around 1hr from Davanagere. On the way, it got into the towns of Hubli and Belgaum, there by losing around 30min. Operators like VRL and Sharma dont do this.

According to my GPS, the driver kept the bus around the 85-90km/h - i have noticed this on earlier occasions as well.

The good thing about KSRTC as compared to VRL and Sharma is that they enter Pune city. I was dropped off at Swargate bus station at 5:15am, ie, it took us 9 hours for the journey including getting into Hubli and Belgaum as well as a dinner stop. Quite decent.

Another good thing was that unlike my past experience with VRL and Sharma, the driver and conductor were quite, not talking and thus not disturbing the passengers.

ALSO READ:

1. PREVIOUS KSRTC EXPERIENCES

Pune to Bangalore KSRTC Volvo experience

Left to Right: My Shirdi-Bangalore KSRTC, Mumbai-Bangalore Vishal volvo, Mumbai-Mangalore KSRTC Volvo

For past experiences, you the LABELS features in the right column on this page.

On 16th October, I took the Shirdi to Bangalore KSRTC Volvo for my Pune - Davanagere trip. My seat no was 26. This bus leaves Shirdi at 1pm and reporting time at the Pune camp office is 6pm. The bus was a little late and due to peak season, it seemed there was some overbooking by agents which led to a commotion and hence we could only leave by 6:40pm.

It took around 20 mins to hit the Katraj bypass after which it was smooth sailing till the dinner stop. According to my GPS enabled speedometer in the phone, the bus was doing around 85-90km/h (true speed or around 90-95 on the speedometer) constantly. Dinner was somewhere after Satara where other - KSRTC, Vishal and Canara Pinto Volvos, joined us. After a 40min, it was a non-stop drive to Davanagere. The driver it seemed was keeping the bus around the 95km/h mark constantly.

I was dropped off at Davanagere bypass, around 580km from the starting point at 3:45am. The journey took 9hrs including a dinner break. Being a peak season, i had to shell out the whole Pune - Bangalore fare of Rs 1100 (off season Bangalore fare is 900 and Davanagere fare is 800 from Pune). It was an ok ride experience. the problem with KSRTC buses is that they have 11 rows of seats as compared to 10 rows for most long distance operators and hence it becomes difficult for tall people like me to travel long distances.

KSRTC flags off dedicated Airavat Volvo bus between Bangalore and Davanagere

Davanagere or Davangere, around 265km from Bangalore always had a lack of a direct Volvo bus service. This city is known for its medical college as well as textile business. There is happy news for frequent travelers as KSRTC has now started a dedicated Airavat Volvo bus service between Davanagere and Bangalore.

The bus will leave at 6am from Davanager, reaching Bangalore by around 11am including a breakfast stop. On return, the bus will leave Bangalore at 5:45pm, arriving in Davangere by around 11:30pm including a dinner stop.

The fare for this bus is around Rs 345 (including taxes)

Also see:
1. Volvo bus video (Neeta Volvo)
2. KSRTC VOLVO crash

KSRTC Volvo's experience on Pune - Bangalore route bus

Recently we told you about the new 9400 series Volvo B7Rs being purchased by KSRTC (READ IT HERE). Last week, I got a chance to experience one of their new buses.
I had to travel to Davanagere, around 575km from Pune. As i had booked the tickets just a couple of days before my travel, i was unfortunate to get the last row seat on the onward journey. This was on the Mumbai - Bangalore bus that leaves Pune at 5pm.

As seen in the picture, the bus looks a little different from the older B7R. Here is a quick summary of the trip
4:30pm : I reached the pick up point before time but the bus from Mumbai had already reached there
5:15pm : We left the Pune Camp pick-up point
5:45pm : Hit the Pune - Bangalore highway
The bus took a 15min halt at Hotel Natraj, which is around 35km from Pune. We took another 30min break for dinner just a few km before Kolhapur. By around 10pm, we resumed our journey.
Davanagere was around 355km more from here. I though we would take around 5 hours. However, by 2:30am, ie, after around 4.5 hours, the conductor was kind enough to wake me up for getting off.
On the way, i was taking a note of the kilometer markers on the highway, which the bus was continously covering in around 40-41 seconds, translating into a true speed of around 90-91km/h, or around 95-96 on the speedometer. The bus didnt take a fuel stop too, which KSRTC buses usually take at Nipani.

In all, we covered 575km from Pune to Davanagere in around 9hrs 15min including two stops. I paid Rs 850 for the ticket (For the whole Pune - Bangalore section, the ticket however is for Rs 1000)

My return trip was two days later and this time i had a second last row. The bus was an older generation B7R (Mark III) with around 3.5lakh km on the odometer. The suspension felt soggy, and the aircon sound intruded into the cabin a lot. This was a 3pm Bangalore-Mumbai bus and it reached Davangere from Bangalore at 8:10pm (265km in 5hrs 10min). Our dinner stop was at 9:15pm and lasted 30min. Heavy rains lasted around an hour and the driver, even when the roads dried up, was covering the km markers in around 43-44sec, ie, he was keeping around 90km/h on the speedometer. Still, we managed to reach Pune Swargate at sharpy 6am. The return trip of 575km was done in 9hrs 50min.

I feel that if the drivers keep the speeds at around 100-105km/h (which is no big deal for the Volvos), the time can by cut down by around 30min or so. Currently, the Volvos are covering the 830km trip between Bangalore and Pune in around 14 to 14.5 hours.

ALSO SEE

1. FULL DETAILS ON KSRTC - INFOSYS CRASH

Infosys KSRTC Volvo accident : Full details

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Here are the full details about KSRTC's second fatal VOLVO crash this month (See first crash)
There 43 youngsters on board, all ready to join Infosys Technologies full time after completing their training at Mysore. At around 6am, when the bus was near Nippani ghats, the accident happened. It is learnt that the bus was at high speed an couldnt negotiate the tight curve, due to which it overturned, not once but twice or even thrice.
Our condolences to the ones who passed away - Agnivesh from Bihar, Ankita from Delhi, Tushar Agarwal and Rakshit Mehrotra from Noida while one of the deceased is yet to be identified.

Infosys employees in Bengaluru observed a two-minute silence to mourn the death of their colleagues.

ALSO SEE:
1. KSRTC'S OTHER CRASH IN KARNATAKA
2. MERCEDES BENZ BUS CRASH
3. MSRTC SHIVNERI VOLVO DOING ALMOST 120KM/H CAUGHT ON CAM
4. Volvo B7R crash enroute Chennai

PICTURE: ALLABOUTBELGAUM.COM

Another fatal KSRTC Airavat Volvo accident

Some days back, we told you about the KSRTC Airavat Volvo accident in Karnataka (CLICK HERE). Today, we got some more news on a similar accident.
A KSRTC Airavat Volvo operating between Mysore and Pune overturned near Sankeshwar when the driver tried to negotiate a sharp curve. In the mishap, five Infosys employees lost their lives!
Let me also add that our readers shouldnt infer from these accidents that the Volvo B7R bus is dangerous in general. Everyday tens of other accidents involving TATA / Leyland buses go unheard of.
Even the driver can be at fault, or other road users (like the stranded truck in the other case)

Picture source : allaboutbelgaum

Also see:
1. MSRTC Volvo doing almost 120km/h caught on cam
2. Kinglong Cerita bus doing 110km/h caught on cam

KSRTC revamps its Volvo Airavat range

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) has one of the largest fleet of Volvo buses. These buses run on one of the longest routes in India like the 1020km Mumbai - Bangalore route.
Recently, it seems, KSRTC has purchased brand new 9400 series buses from Volvo. I recently spotted this bus (seen above) on the Mumbai - Pune expressway. This bus is operating on Bangalore - Mumbai - Bangalore route. What is interesting here is the never before seen emergency exit on the left side. I have yet to sit in one of these to comment on how it operates though.

ALSO SEE:
1. KSRTC VOLVO'S MAJOR CRASH
2. SHARMA'S MERCEDES BENZ CRASH
3. MSRTC'S SHIVNERI VOLVO VIDEO

KSRTC's Volvo's major accident

Five people were killed, including three from Bangalore, and 14 others

injured when a KSRTC Volvo-Airavat crashed into a
timber-laden lorry parked by the
road at Udane on Bangalore-Mangalore NH 48 in the early hours of Monday.

The bus, on its way to Mangalore from Bangalore, rammed into the lorry while trying to avoid an oncoming truck. A log that entered the bus on impact caused the casualties.

The deceased are Satish Chandra, 55, a motor vehicle inspector from Yelahanka; Girisha, 33, from Madhavanagar; Santhosh, 33, from Viveknagar; Prabha Hegde, 50, from Puttur and Varaprasada, 27, from Vishakapatnam.

The bus was carrying 40 passengers. Transport minister R Ashok announced a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh each to the dependents of the victims, Rs 15,000 of which will be paid immediately and the rest within a week. He said: "We use our best drivers on the Airavat as the emphasis is on accident-free journeys."

This is the second major accident involving a KSRTC-Airavat this year. The previous one was near Tirupati four months ago.

PICS SOURCE : WWW.DAIJIWORLD.COM

ALSO SEE:
MERCEDES BENZ BUS CRASH IN INDIA
VOLVO B7R crash enroute Chennai

The Corona Ambari A/C bus

Some months back, the Pune based manufacturer rolled out its Corona sleeper buses. With a 160bhp rear engine, the bus has 32 comfortable sleeper berths. The company also rolled out its A/C seater for long distance routes now being used by various operators including KSRTC

Body and frame:
Corona bus is an all steel integral monocoque construction and has two important structural members:
a) Spines to carry load carrying member and
Exterior cage which is integrated with spine to have a unique single piece monocoque structure.
The entire structure is made up of rectangular steel tubes. The structure has comparatively high impact strength.

Engine:
The bus is fitted with 160 Horse power Cummins engine at the rear end so as to reduce noise pollution inside the bus saloon. The rear engine ensures reduced transmission loss. Larger flaps are fitted at rear end and at sides for better accessibility and maintenance of the engine.The bus can easily maintain speeds of 95-100km/h on the highways and returns around 4km to a litre of diesel.

Air suspension:
Fully independent front Air suspension are provided which carries double link wish bone at both left and right independently supported to the structure by silent bearings. The rear end is provided with an independent single wish bone structure which is pivoted to the body structural spines with rubber mountings for comfortable travel. The Air suspension provides bump free travel to the passenger

Passenger saloon:
The passenger saloon is provided with ultra modern interiors, ‘Happich’ imported hatracks to carry light luggage, comfortable reclining hi-tech passenger seats, imported floor carpeting, high mounted TV to have better viewing pleasure for passengers.

Air conditioner:
This bus is provided with good branded “carrier” make air-conditioner with excellent cooling effect to make the journey comfortable & cool.

Front show and wind shield:
The bus is provided with improved front show and wind shield to have better aero dynamics and fuel efficiency. Better visibility and safety. Single piece front cowl gives better insulation and avoids dust entry into the cabin and also help in reduction in noise pollution.

Luggage space:
The bus is provided with excellent under slung luggage space (approximately 11 cubic mtrs) to carry more luggages of passengers and also better road holding with lowered centre of gravity. Loading and unloading of luggage is very easy as the luggage space is much nearer to the ground.

Brakes:
The Braking system provides safe and reliable braking with dual circuit full air brakes. Condenser cum water separator is provided in addition to the air dryer to enhance life and performance of brake system. Automatic slack adjuster are provided to enhance the braking efficiency.

Seats Configuration:
Fitted with 44 passenger seats with 2x2 seating configuration. The seats are comfortable with reclining mechanism.

Exteriors:
The bus is provided with all aluminum doors and stretched galvanized panels. The panels are painted with polyurethane based premier high solid 2k paints with colorful graphics.

Cost:
The end rate for the Corona Ambari A/C bus is Rs. 36,81,563.00.12.

Brand Name:
The Bus is named as “AMBAARI” – means comfortable & luxurious journey on the top of an Elephant.

RELATED READING:

Royal Cruiser stops Volvo bus operations on Kolkata-Siliguri route

Akash Passey's exclusive interview for us

KSRTC Volvo: Mangalore to Udipi

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has decided to operate 10 Volvo buses from Mangalore to Manipal.

Addressing presspersons here on Friday, Minister for Transport R. Ashok said that the Government would not give into the private bus operators’ lobby in Mangalore and if everything went according to the plan, KSRTC buses would operate between Mangalore and Manipal before the New Year. A team had been deployed to study the number of private buses operating between Mangalore and Manipal. Since there was a stiff competition from private bus operators in the district, the bus fare would be highly competitive, he said.

To end the monopoly of private bus operators, the corporation had prepared a plan to launch city services in Mangalore city limits. Depending on the public response and performance of the buses, a decision would be taken to augment the operations, he said.

He said KSRTC would submit applications to the Regional Transport Authority seeking permits. KSRTC had gained substantial ground on routes such as Mangalore-B.C. Road, Mangalore-Puttur, Mangalore-Uppinangadi and Mangalore-Dharmasthala, which were dominated by private bus operators.

A study by KSRTC had identified some routes on which buses could be introduced, the number of buses required for each route, the number of personnel and the infrastructure required, he said.

Asked about the opposition to the operation of KSRTC buses in Dakshina Kannada, the Minister said that he had consulted his party colleagues and Ministers in the Cabinet. “Let me see the response from the public to our services in Mangalore,” Mr. Ashok said.

SOURCE: WWW.HINDU.COM

ALSO READ:

Signature series Volvo B9R
Book your Volvo ticket online NOW

KSRTC's untrained driver drives the Volvo bus!

BY:T L Prasanna Venkatesan

I was to board the KSRTC Meghadoota service on the 27th of November at the Shanthinagar bus stand in Bangalore to Chennai. The bus that was scheduled to start at 10:17 PM, did not arrive at the bus stop till 11:00 PM. The bus that managed to arrive so late from the depot had mechanical problems.

The driver reported that the bus could not pick up speed and possibly not go beyond third gear. Apart from this, the bus also had very bad air conditioning, which added to the frustration and fury of the passengers.

The angry passengers demanded that the conductor give it in writing about the condition of the bus and also regarding the late arrival, so that action could be taken against the concerned through the Consumer Court. The conductor, who was not ready to do so, directed the driver to drive the bus back to Majestic bus stand.

It was 12:00 AM by now, and the passengers were stranded at the main bus stand.

While the depot manager, the only living creature at the Majestic bus stand at that hour, managed to approve the use of a higher class service bus for this journey, but another problem reared its head- the driver had no experience of driving a Volvo bus. Hence the driver had to have a practice session at the bus stand. The driver, who was ecstatic about handling a new Volvo, confidently agreed to drive us to Chennai.

Thus, that day the passengers united for a common cause, and proved that a voice raised by all of us together can jolt the officials into action and force them to provide better services to the public.

Source: Citizen matters

My point here is : Isnt it a policy of Volvo that only Volvo trained drivers can drive a Volvo bus in India? Comments please... In the meantime, click HERE to book your VOLVO tickets online