[ghodlur]

I rarely do take the intercity bus service but this time I had to due to shortage of time and unavailability of cheaper flights + strict instructions from home minister not to travel by own car. I managed to book a ticket in VRL Travels from Bangalore to Pune and this was an overnight journey starting at Yeshwantpur Railway station and ending at Vadgaon Navale bridge in Pune. Had some real high hopes about the travel in a sleeper class bus but soon to turn into an anguish. The bus was supposed to be Volvo 9600 Gold class from VRL.
1. The bus came late, travelled late, reached late. So punctuality for a VRL bus is out of the window in a jiffy.
2. Had opted for lower berth (the double one) in which the lights (reading & cabin) inside didn't work. Fortunately the USB connection worked for charging the mobile.
3. Unrequired and unplanned stops: First stop was at Tumkur hardly 2 hrs into travelling from Yeshwantpur, reason being tea break for Driver. Next halt wad diesel refuleing at Chitradurge. Third halt at 10 pm for dinner at Rane Bennur, who in the real world has dinner at 10 pm? Again this was to facilitate the driver, customer go take a walk. Next couple of halt for Nature's call for Driver. Next halt was tea break at Satara. The bus reached 1.5hrs late at the drop off destination.
4. Unmaintained bus - The bus was rattling beyond expectations. The road conditions, speed breakers, rumbler strips, hard braking were all being felt very pronounced along with the twists and turns of the bus itself.

Maybe I must be travelling after a long time but the trip surely felt an out of life experience. I have a return trip also planned from Pune to bangalore with the same bus operator and have been having second thoughts. I am thinking of opting for BlaBla car the car pool sharing app and have found one who is travelling at my interested time and date. Should I go with Blabla or continue the Bus trip itself?

[HWKingInnCrysta]

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Thank you

[ike]

I took an intercity bus after a very long time, on a Kerala RTC Swift seater A/C. The bus was supposed to start at 2030 Hrs from the Kilambakkam bus stand but started 10 mins late as a couple of passsengers were late. The crew were courteous, the bus was in decent shape too. It arrived at Thrissur at 0745 Hrs, 15 mins ahead of schedule. Earlier, arrival time in Thrissur was 0655 Hrs however this has been revised with effect from the last week of Oct and now the scheduled arrival time in Thrissur is 0800 Hrs.

Nothing to complain as such, by the looks of it the bus is quite popular with people. I wish KeSRTC introduce more buses between Ernakulam - Chennai and also a few Gajraj sleeper services.

[bht]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

I rarely do take the intercity bus service but this time I had to due to shortage of time and unavailability of cheaper flights + strict instructions from home minister not to travel by own car. I managed to book a ticket in VRL Travels from Bangalore to Pune and this was an overnight journey starting at Yeshwantpur Railway station and ending at Vadgaon Navale bridge in Pune.

Thanks, how long did the bus take to travel from BLR to PUNE?

[vrprabhu]

Ghodlur,
Airavat is the best option to travel from Pune to Bangalore. The buses are well maintained and keep their timings.

All others are sub-par, with VRL at the bottom : based on my experience.

The best timing between Pune to Bangalore was 14 hrs (by KSRTC) and the worst was 18 hrs (by VRL). The time of departure from Pune and Bangalore is a key factor, given the traffic density in both the cities.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by bht

Thanks, how long did the bus take to travel from BLR to PUNE?

On paper the time was 15h 30 min but it took 17 hrs to reach the destination.

Originally Posted by vrprabhu

Ghodlur,
Airavat is the best option to travel from Pune to Bangalore. The buses are well maintained and keep their timings.

All others are sub-par, with VRL at the bottom : based on my experience.

The best timing between Pune to Bangalore was 14 hrs (by KSRTC) and the worst was 18 hrs (by VRL). The time of departure from Pune and Bangalore is a key factor, given the traffic density in both the cities.

I had travelled in Airavat way back in 2022 and based on that journey experienced had vowed not to travel by bus because there is no guarantee that any bus plying on this route would reach on time and now with the big excuse of road construction, every bus operator can smartly shrugg off on the punctuality part. Plus I have seen in KSRTC as well as VRL, these buses halt at some shady places always for dinner/tea/nature's break and it is well known that the drivers earn their free meals from these places as incentive. The spot where VRL travels had halted for dinner had a washroom which was unusable, it stinked so badly and leaking pots all over the place. Now why would a reputed operator halt at such location? When I asked the driver, he said the operator co has a tie up with such place only.

I feel sad that passengers hard earned money is taken for granted.

So I decided in my return trip to use BlaBla car and luckily found one such person who also had been a victim to the bus journeys in that sector.

[bht]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

On paper the time was 15h 30 min but it took 17 hrs to reach the destination.

Thanks, 17hrs to Pune is a crime.
I'll update next week once my trip with VRL is done. fingers crossed

[akash_v12]

I've travelled by KSRTC's Ambaari Dream Class from Bengaluru to Mumbai & Pune around 5 times, so I'll be penning my thoughts on these services. Keep in mind, the Mumbai rotations are operated by F4181/F4156 (I mainly get 4181, although I ended up getting F4144 last time, which operates the night service to Ernakulam usually), whilst the Pune rotations are operated by F4126/F4090. All of these buses are Volvo B11Rs, with the body of the MG Starz. Here is my take on the services.

After I moved to BLR for college, getting home always meant booking a flight early (especially during the festive season) or waiting till the very last moment to get cheap tickets. After becoming unlucky a couple of times, I'll take the Ambaari Dream Class service home as it suits my college timings and is relatively inexpensive (ESPECIALLY in the festive season). The delay is not something other than something that can be controlled by the crew, given the eternally long roadworks on the Maharashtra side. Still, they tend to keep it to a minimum, and I get down at Belapur by around 10:30.

I hadn't ever travelled by bus before this, so the experience of a 15-18 hour bus journey was brand new to me. KSRTC's 4PM Departure for the Mumbai-bound bus makes it easy to get out of the city by 5PM at the maximum. This service, too, has started halting at Shree Rathnam Restaurant, Billanakote, for its tea break around 5:30-5:45PM instead of Karajeevanahalli Toll Plaza a bit later. This was a much-needed move since the washrooms at the restaurant are much cleaner than they were at the toll. However, they have changed the dinner break to some restaurant in Davangare. While the food is decent, the washroom needs a significant upgrade.

The drivers display no hurry or rash driving whatsoever, which is a critical factor in my choosing KSRTC over every operator. They are always courteous and will even converse nicely if they are not too busy. I prefer taking a lower single seat (as I usually travel alone). Avoid taking Seat No. 13 since the stickers cover the window.

I'm around 5ft10in, and I can lay down perfectly fine. The bed is on the narrower side, but I don't mind. KSRTC does provide freshly laundered blankets on every trip from Bengaluru. The only complaint I have with the seat is that it is a bit hard to sit up straight due to the position of the backrest. Otherwise, it should be okay. Plugpoints, reading lights, USB sockets, etc., all work, which is a big plus. Moreover, there is consistent network coverage throughout the route, so one wouldn't have any problem with any shows.

Attaching some pictures as well.

[bht]

Originally Posted by bht

Thanks, 17hrs to Pune is a crime.
I'll update next week once my trip with VRL is done. fingers crossed

quoting myself. trip went fine, we left BLR at 0800hrs and we were dropped at Ahmedabad at ~1300hrs the next day. no major traffic issues on the way.

[gopa99]

Originally Posted by akash_v12

I've travelled by KSRTC's Ambaari Dream Class from Bengaluru to Mumbai & Pune around 5 times, so I'll be penning my thoughts on these services. ][/center]

Nice. Can you post some pics from inside the bus? Can a 6 feet tall guy sleep with his legs stretched out in the berth? Are all berths having the same leg room?
Having clean toilets is always a luxury, I wonder when this situation could change. Funny part is this doesn't come at any additional cost, it's just that operators need to enforce quality standards strictly with their service partners. In India enforcements over cleanliness in public places always need attention.

[akash_v12]

Originally Posted by gopa99

Nice. Can you post some pics from inside the bus? Can a 6 feet tall guy sleep with his legs stretched out in the berth? Are all berths having the same leg room?

Will be travelling again this month, and will post the picture then. I'm right about 5'10" and I can fit pretty well. As far as I know, the berths do have the same leg room.

[Satish Pari]

Bangalore - Chennai Airavat Club Class 2.0 Review

Last week was in Bangalore on some official work. Thanks to Blusmart for messing up my return journey to the airport from JP Nagar, I missed my flight back to Chennai. Actually this was a blessing in disguise, I could return to Chennai by a bus. I'm an ardent bus fan and my first choice would always be a semi-sleeper service. I really miss the multi-axle semi-sleeper which are slowly becoming relics of the past (at least in the routes I travel regularly)

Missing the flight, I decided to go to Shanthi Nagar and either catch an SETC or a KSRTC service back to Chennai. I checked both websites and plenty of seats were available on SETC. On checking the KSRTC website, the 20:45 Airavat 2.0 service immediately grabbed my attention. Reached Shanthi Nagar at around 7pm, there was an SETC Non A/C Seater Sleeper (new one-green color) but seats were only at the back. The next SETC was being combined with the 19:15 service hence there was some confusion regarding empty seats. Without hesitating went to the KSRTC counter and booked the 20:45 Airavat 2.0 (Volvo 9600) service from Mysore to Chennai.

Had dinner at Adyar Ananda Bhavan and the wait for the bus started. Shanti Nagar is surely a bus-lovers paradise, multiple SETC new and old buses, Kerala RTC Gajaraj Volvo sleeper and so on. Finally this beauty came into platform 3 at 21:00 (15 minute delay). And finally we were of at 21:30 (45 minute delay). Mine was seat number 36 (window) and luckily the adjoining seat was empty. The bus had around 25 passengers in total. Pickep up some passengers on the way and then it was smooth sailing. The interiors were amazing and there was a charger between the two seats. The only break happened at around midnight just before Krishnagiri (Sree Saravana Bhavan). It lasted for close to 20 minutes and then we were off.

Coming to the ride, typical KSRTC driving smooth and buttery. No rash driving and hard braking. Did not cross 85km/hr. Horn was used very minimally. Got dropped at Koyambedu at exactly 5am. 7 hours 30 minutes was a really good time despite having so many diversions enroute. At the rest stop captured some pictures of the 9600 and a few older Club Classes (Volvos and 1 Scania)

[akash_v12]

Originally Posted by Satish Pari

Bangalore - Chennai Airavat Club Class 2.0 Review

Last week was in Bangalore on some official work. Thanks to Blusmart for messing up my return journey to the airport from JP Nagar, I missed my flight back to Chennai.

Nice! Is this the Mysore-Chennai service (the one that leaves Mysore around 5)? If yes, had spotted this back on a recent trip to Mysore. Attaching a pic of the same. The 9600 Sleeper is quite a machine, the 9600 seater is no less!

[Satish Pari]

Originally Posted by akash_v12

Nice! Is this the Mysore-Chennai service (the one that leaves Mysore around 5)? If yes, had spotted this back on a recent trip to Mysore. Attaching a pic of the same. The 9600 Sleeper is quite a machine, the 9600 seater is no less!

Attachment 2696889

Yes this is in fact the 17:15 service from Mysore to Chennai. Yes 9600 seater was quite a machine and the journey was buttery smooth thanks to the amazing drivers.

[rajathv8]

Originally Posted by Satish Pari

Shanti Nagar is surely a bus-lovers paradise

You can say that again!
During my bus travels several years ago, I would make it a point to reach the bus station early just to watch these monsters pass through.
A pair of earplugs and a good vantage point is all one needs to pass time.

Originally Posted by Satish Pari

Coming to the ride, typical KSRTC driving smooth and buttery. No rash driving and hard braking. Did not cross 85km/hr. Horn was used very minimally.

The KSRTC drivers are mature in this aspect. Having done many trips on the BLR-OOTY stretch (volvo, day journey, front seat ), I have had the opportunity to watch them closely.

Looking forward to my trip on good old Airavat Club Class and newbie Ambaari Utsav in later part of this week with the family. Hopefully Junior will have similar sentiments