[vharihar]

Originally Posted by binaiks

Getting a taxi shouldn't be an issue there - this is a Taxi Stand at that junction, IIRC. The running rate is around 10~12/km in Kerala now. (They charge for "running" kms - that includes the return empty trip as well)

Thanks Binai.

Another question: I will likely take a taxi from Angamaly to Sreedharayam Ayrurvedic Hospital (Koothatukulam). After Muvattupuzha, Google maps shows a road via Pandapally (as opposed to Hwy 1 MC Road all through till Koothatukulam). Is this what you would also recommend?

[binand]

Originally Posted by vharihar

Thanks Binai.

Another question: I will likely take a taxi from Angamaly to Sreedharayam Ayrurvedic Hospital (Koothatukulam). After Muvattupuzha, Google maps shows a road via Pandapally (as opposed to Hwy 1 MC Road all through till Koothatukulam). Is this what you would also recommend?

Even though Kerala roads have quite a bad reputation, it is advisable to stick to MC Road - these other "short-cuts" are usually so badly laid and uneven that elderly people would find the journey tiring and painful. I have been to Sreedhareeyam two or three times (usually from Aluva or Perumbavur, though); the MC Road is generally good all the way to Koothattukulam town. This was a few years back, though.

[deepclutch]

Originally Posted by vharihar

Thanks Binai.

Another question: I will likely take a taxi from Angamaly to Sreedharayam Ayrurvedic Hospital (Koothatukulam). After Muvattupuzha, Google maps shows a road via Pandapally (as opposed to Hwy 1 MC Road all through till Koothatukulam). Is this what you would also recommend?

MC road just before reaching Koothattukulam from Muvattupuzha side is horrible last I travelled through that route. it is some 3kms or so the road is absolutely shambles. may be if the driver is skill-full he can go through the bad surface without causing much disturbance to the passengers.

the parallel route is via Arakkuzha-Pandappilly-Paalakkuzha to Kuthattukulam. the route via Arakuzha-Pandappilly is also not in good condition. it is less by 3kms as well as not hilly, but pothole filled after Aarakkuzha. I have been through this route today. If I've to travel southwards, will choose Arakkuzha-Pandappilly route. but many will not agree.

[aroonanand]

Dear all,

I am planning a trip by bus from Bangalore to Munnar shortly. I will have to be in Ernakulam and hence will be heading to Munnar from there on. Guess KeSRTC is the only option for this sector (Ernakulam - Munnar). What kind of buses does KeSRTC operate on this route - any deluxe buses or is it only the red rattletraps (Super Fast / FP)? Also, any pointers on bus frequency and starting point would be appreciated. I plan to leave Ernakulam in the morning after breakfast so as to be in Munnar by noon.

For the return to Bangalore, am considering either the KaSRTC Rajahamsa or the KPN Sleeper, both leave around 5PM. Any suggestions on which to take between the 2? Am a bit skeptical about Sleeper as the first 3-4 hours would be on the ghats and hence feel that a sleeper would be quite uncomfortable.

Thanks!

[TKMCE]

Most of the KeSRTC buses i have seen on the Ernakulam Bangalore route are "ordinary" limited stop buses forget Super Fast or Express or even FPs. But that said , taking a KeSRTC Super Fast nowadays is a waste of time and money. Last time I took a "Super Fast" bus from Triviandrum to Aluva (it was a Trichur "Super Fast" of the Karunagapally depot), it stopped no less than eight times between Vytilla and Aluva. Anytime someone stuck his hand out on the road side the driver and conductor were only too happy to oblige (and no the bus was not half empty- it was already full when it left Vytilla and further delayed by 90 minutes due to processions due to a local festival). It took a painful 7 1/2 hours to cover the 240 km between Trivandrum and Aluva.

There used to be a green colored "EXPRESS" which used to leave Trivandrum at 0100 and should leave Ernakulam by around 6-6.30 AM for Munnar. This hopefully will be better as the higher fares may put off short distance pax (although nowadays only the Deluxe buses do not allow standing pax). This bus should leave from the KeSRTC bus station and not Vytilla keeping in mind the early morning timings (if the bus is still running).


There should also be private buses on this route. Earlier they used to start outside the South Railway station. Now the boarding point may have changed. Keep in mind that some of these buses look good from outaide but can be very cramped inside and KeSRTC may be a better bet.

On the return in addition to the options you have given there is also a SRS sleeper as well around 4 PM.


Hopefully someone will have more current information. Please do post your experiences here once you travel.

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by aroonanand

I am planning a trip by bus from Bangalore to Munnar shortly. I will have to be in Ernakulam and hence will be heading to Munnar from there on. Guess KeSRTC is the only option for this sector (Ernakulam - Munnar). What kind of buses does KeSRTC operate on this route - any deluxe buses or is it only the red rattletraps (Super Fast / FP)? Also, any pointers on bus frequency and starting point would be appreciated. I plan to leave Ernakulam in the morning after breakfast so as to be in Munnar by noon.

There are no deluxe buses on that route, not even superfasts or FPs. All the services in that route are "TTs" (Town-to-Town) (barring a sole Super Fast, which passes Ernakulam at 0615hrs - this service used to get a Super Express sometime back, not sure of the condition now). The TTs are quite fast - have lesser number of stops and majority of the buses are now Venads. There is a bus every hour or so (not fixed intervals). You may contact KSRTC Ernakulam bus station for further details - 0484-2376233.

[vharihar]

Originally Posted by deepclutch

MC road just before reaching Koothattukulam from Muvattupuzha side is horrible last I travelled through that route. it is some 3kms or so the road is absolutely shambles. may be if the driver is skill-full he can go through the bad surface without causing much disturbance to the passengers.

the parallel route is via Arakkuzha-Pandappilly-Paalakkuzha to Kuthattukulam. the route via Arakuzha-Pandappilly is also not in good condition. it is less by 3kms as well as not hilly, but pothole filled after Aarakkuzha. I have been through this route today. If I've to travel southwards, will choose Arakkuzha-Pandappilly route. but many will not agree.

Went by SLS Travels brand new Volvo bus. Dunno what's the connection bween that and Sree Krishna Travels. My redbus ticket said Sree Krishna Travels. Scheduled departure 8.45pm from Madivala, Bangalore. Bus actually left around 9.10pm. Drove slowly, I guess to avoid stressing the engine in run-in period. Reached Angamaly around 8.45am (about 3.5 hrs late). Took a cab from there to Koothatukulam, cost Rs 1100.

Angamaly to Muvattupuzha MC Road is extremely well paved with excellent, well thought out lane markings. After Muvattupuzha, the road is very scenic but in shambles, likely due to recent rain.

On my return, I took the 6pm KSRTC Rajahamsa Executive from Koothatukulam. Great service, reached Silk Board Junction at 6.45 am (faster than the Volvo!). Enroute, the bus went off Hwy 47 and went to Thrissur. Bus got full there. The road leading off of Hwy 47 to Thrissur town is also excellent. Fantastic lane markings and lit up studs on lane markings. Thrissur seems to be a booming town with lots of constructions ongoing.

In general KL roads looked much better than KA roads.

Koothatukulam, and especially the area around Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Hospital is very scenic.

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by vharihar

Went by SLS Travels brand new Volvo bus. Dunno what's the connection bween that and Sree Krishna Travels. My redbus ticket said Sree Krishna Travels. Scheduled departure 8.45pm from Madivala, Bangalore. Bus actually left around 9.10pm. Drove slowly, I guess to avoid stressing the engine in run-in period. Reached Angamaly around 8.45am (about 3.5 hrs late). Took a cab from there to Koothatukulam, cost Rs 1100.

That was the very first trip of the bus! Sree Krishna Travels is the main agent for the bus - and hence the tickets bear their name. The bus would've lost time at Attibele and Walayar to get its tax token - and very often TN MVD guys make a scene on Fridays. The Saturday's departure from Bangalore reached Pathanamthitta at 8.15AM! So probably the delay on your ticket was more due to the tax payment stuff than running slow.

[aroonanand]

Originally Posted by TKMCE

Most of the KeSRTC buses i have seen on the Ernakulam Bangalore route are "ordinary" limited stop buses forget Super Fast or Express or even FPs.

There used to be a green colored "EXPRESS" which used to leave Trivandrum at 0100 and should leave Ernakulam by around 6-6.30 AM for Munnar. This hopefully will be better as the higher fares may put off short distance pax (although nowadays only the Deluxe buses do not allow standing pax). This bus should leave from the KeSRTC bus station and not Vytilla keeping in mind the early morning timings (if the bus is still running).

There should also be private buses on this route. Earlier they used to start outside the South Railway station. Now the boarding point may have changed. Keep in mind that some of these buses look good from outaide but can be very cramped inside and KeSRTC may be a better bet.

On the return in addition to the options you have given there is also a SRS sleeper as well around 4 PM.

Originally Posted by binaiks

There are no deluxe buses on that route, not even superfasts or FPs. All the services in that route are "TTs" (Town-to-Town) (barring a sole Super Fast, which passes Ernakulam at 0615hrs - this service used to get a Super Express sometime back, not sure of the condition now). The TTs are quite fast - have lesser number of stops and majority of the buses are now Venads. There is a bus every hour or so (not fixed intervals). You may contact KSRTC Ernakulam bus station for further details - 0484-2376233.

Thanks for the quick response. Assume none of these buses require reservation. Do these KeSRTC buses depart from the bus stand near MG Road (Near Abad Metro hotel)? Also, how long does the journey from Ernakulam to Munnar take? Am not a fan of Kerala private buses given the way they drive which is extremely uncomfortable for any journey over an hour !

@ TKMCE - Strict NO-NO to SRS based on multiple bad experiences including an accident on my last trip to Trivandrum which was handled extremely shoddily by them, to put it mildly.

[TKMCE]

Generally no reservations are required. Journey time is usually-4 1/2 hours to 5 hours (135 Kms).


I suggest it is better that you catch one of the earlier buses (around 5.30-6AM) . Since the buses are not operating at fixed intervals, better call up the KeSRTC bus station and ask the night before for the exact timings. The bus statiion is near the Abad Metro hotel as you mentioned

The Super Fast/Super Express bus comes from Trivandrum so the arrival at Ernakulam can get delayed. Almost all the local services start from Ernakulam itself and they pull up at the bay 10-15 minutes before the departure time so you many not need too much of your gymnastic skills or your elebow power to get on board. The other advantage of an early departure is that you avoid the peak time traffic between Ernakulam and Aluva. Almost all these buses take the Ernakulam - Aluva-Perumbavoor-Kothamangalam-Adimaly route. The buses will stop somewhere for breakfast (the early morning buses will either be at Perumbavoor or Kothamangalam) but dont expect these places to be spic and span.


Binaiks- There used to be a KeSRTC Super Deluxe between Munnar and Bangalore via Kothamangalam, Angamaly , Trichur,Calicut and Mysore. Is the service still running???

[deepclutch]

super Express buses services are available from Kothamangalam to Munnar. these are buses coming from MC road route. I think, it is Trivandrum-Munnar, Trivandrum-Mattupetti buses.

[aroonanand]

Originally Posted by TKMCE

Generally no reservations are required. Journey time is usually-4 1/2 hours to 5 hours (135 Kms).


I suggest it is better that you catch one of the earlier buses (around 5.30-6AM) . Since the buses are not operating at fixed intervals, better call up the KeSRTC bus station and ask the night before for the exact timings. The bus statiion is near the Abad Metro hotel as you mentioned

The Super Fast/Super Express bus comes from Trivandrum so the arrival at Ernakulam can get delayed. Almost all the local services start from Ernakulam itself and they pull up at the bay 10-15 minutes before the departure time so you many not need too much of your gymnastic skills or your elebow power to get on board. The other advantage of an early departure is that you avoid the peak time traffic between Ernakulam and Aluva.

Binaiks- There used to be a KeSRTC Super Deluxe between Munnar and Bangalore via Kothamangalam, Angamaly , Trichur,Calicut and Mysore. Is the service still running???

Thanks a lot again for the tips.
Yes, the KeSRTC Super Deluxe is still operating and is listed on their website. However this service terminates at Mysore road terminus and hence am not considering this for return due to the distance from Mys road to home. (I stay on Sarjapur road and so prefer a bus which will drop me at Madiwala). Will end up spending as much as the bus fare on autos otherwise

[saadat1992]

Took Parveen's Go green Volvo multi axle from Coimbatore to Chennai last night! One word - Awesome!
The cabin was very well maintained, no vibrations , no foul smell, no bed bugs!
Started at 11pm in Coimbatore and reached Chennai by 6:00am! 7hrs including a 10min break! Was constantly doing 90-100 with occasional 110! Was kind of rash in the Avinashi 2 lane section! The driver did a barricade maneuver at 90+kmph and I'm still wondering how he held on to it!
They never honked during the night, the headlamps were the ones that did the work!
Overall i'd rate it 4/5.

[srikant]

Dear Friends, need help regarding my travel Bangalore-Chennai-Hyderabad-Bangalore. Kindly suggest me reliable AC sleeper bus which reaches early morning at Hyderabad and Bangalore. Travel dates are 20 Oct-Bangalore-Chennai, 21 Oct Chennai-Hyderabad, 23 Oct Hyderabad-Bangalore. Have booked on trains but the WL is high hence may not get confirmed.

[saadat1992]

Originally Posted by srikant

Dear Friends, need help regarding my travel Bangalore-Chennai-Hyderabad-Bangalore. Kindly suggest me reliable AC sleeper bus which reaches early morning at Hyderabad and Bangalore. Travel dates are 20 Oct-Bangalore-Chennai, 21 Oct Chennai-Hyderabad, 23 Oct Hyderabad-Bangalore. Have booked on trains but the WL is high hence may not get confirmed.

Try KPN, VRL or Parveen! They are the major operators in south!
KPN and Parveen volvos are very well maintained! I have no idea about VRL.