[AkMar]

Apparently a Shivneri was involved in an accident near New Panvel yesterday in which the driver got killed. There is a small mention about it in Times of India.

Edit: The Dadar - Pune services still seem to be sponsored by Mid-Day. Their logo is present on most of the destination boards. The newspaper which we got too was a Mid day.

[moralfibre]

Shiveneri travel fares have been increased for some time now. They charge a whooping Rs. 346/- for travel between Mumbai and Pune. That is quite a considerable increase since the thread started. However, they still remain the best carrier between the twin cities with regards to upkeep of their fleet as well as for punctuality.

I had to take a Purple Metrolink from Andheri to Pune on Saturday as I was carrying a friend's scooter along. Private operators have this unique service to transport 2-wheelers at an added cost. The scooter was put into the baggage area of the bus and parked upright. It is advisable to remove the rear view mirrors for a perfect fit. They request you to empty the fuel tank for safety reasons. Charges for transporting it from Bombay to Pune was Rs. 1000/-, ticket fare was Rs. 300/-. The torture of a 5 hour slow stop journey not withstanding, it is quite a useful service for those wishing to transport their 2 wheelers between cities.

[coriollis]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Shiveneri travel fares have been increased for some time now. They charge a whooping Rs. 346/- for travel between Mumbai and Pune. That is quite a considerable increase since the thread started.

That is indeed an unreal fare to pay for such a small distance even if it is the best service for Pune - Mumbai. Private players will also increase there fares now.
When I inquired about the fares from Pune- Kolhapur Shivneri, It was whooping Rs 450/- before this increase. Simultaneously i searched for Pune- Hubli fares on KSRTC website. I was astounded to find out the fares (Night fares) to be Rs 495/- Now this is cheap. Now my point is, MSRTC should rationalize its services and use the goodwill it has created, else it is on likely to perish like the Premier Padminis.

Originally Posted by AkMar

Apparently a Shivneri was involved in an accident near New Panvel yesterday in which the driver got killed. There is a small mention about it in Times of India.

May his soul RIP. Was that Volvo MSRTC's Or was it private. I ask this because the private operator's drivers do 3 trips on trot a lot of times. And that is indeed stressful however good ergonomics vollvo may provide.
Abhijeet

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by coriollis

May his soul RIP. Was that Volvo MSRTC's Or was it private. I ask this because the private operator's drivers do 3 trips on trot a lot of times. And that is indeed stressful however good ergonomics vollvo may provide.
Abhijeet

Slightly off topic:

Abhijeet, did you know that most of Shivneri's fleet is on a lease? Almost all of their buses are hired from private operators and that includes current competitors from the private sector including Prasanna. Their largest fleet supplier is Eagle travels or some company similarly named. I was quite surprised when I heard this.

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Shiveneri travel fares have been increased for some time now. They charge a whooping Rs. 346/- for travel between Mumbai and Pune. That is quite a considerable increase since the thread started. However, they still remain the best carrier between the twin cities with regards to upkeep of their fleet as well as for punctuality.

Lucky Man !! I paid almost 400/- for my ticket a month back (397 change).

346 is decent given a fact that they are punctual and good. Neetas and company cost 300 but no one prefers them

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

Lucky Man !! I paid almost 400/- for my ticket a month back (397 change).

346 would be for Dadar - Pune. The base fare is (was) 320 and the additional amount is convenience charge and the likes. 400 is (was) the fare for Borivali - Pune. This again includes convenience charges.

This week Dadar - Pune base fare was increased to Rs 340. Borivali - Pune too must have been increased by similar amount.

[coriollis]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Slightly off topic:

Abhijeet, did you know that most of Shivneri's fleet is on a lease? Almost all of their buses are hired from private operators and that includes current competitors from the private sector including Prasanna. Their largest fleet supplier is Eagle travels or some company similarly named. I was quite surprised when I heard this.

Yes Kiran, I am aware of this fact. The buses with number MH 11 T 9XXX series are MSRTC owned and they are better maintained. Others are of private players such as Prasanna from Pune and I think someone named Royal in Mumbai. There is one from nashik also. These buses have numbers in series MH 15, MH 46,MH 06 and MH12. Earlier there was a MH43 also. It now does duty on the airport and also sometimes on Mumbai Nashik route.
Another thing to be noted is that the 'Ashwamegh' branded multiaxle volvo's were bought by MSRTC regeisterd as MH 11 T 9243 and 9244 and were to be run on Mumbai- Bangalore route. They never ever went beyond Pune and when total number of Multiaxles from Pune/Mumbai to Bangalore is touching almost 50, the MSRTC guys plonked 2 semi-sleeper volvo's (Private) on this route. Needless to say that it has been a total disaster, and these poor guys work as a stage carrier with maximum of 2-3 direct passengers both ways.

Can you believe, the fare for Mumbai Bangalore Shivneri is Rs 1000 for 1010 Kms and Semi-luxury fare is Rs 917/- Yes there is one running daily at 10 AM from Mumbai central.
The heroics of MSRTC are in such a large proportions that it may reqiure a new thread IMO.
Though, it feels sad to see the ST being abused and dying a slow painful death

[adits]

Originally Posted by coriollis

Can you believe, the fare for Mumbai Bangalore Shivneri is Rs 1000 for 1010 Kms and Semi-luxury fare is Rs 917/- Yes there is one running daily at 10 AM from Mumbai central.
The heroics of MSRTC are in such a large proportions that it may reqiure a new thread IMO.
Though, it feels sad to see the ST being abused and dying a slow painful death

Are you sure of this fare? I paid 1,250 for Mumbai - Bangalore with Neeta (Volvo Sleeperette) in 2005

[coriollis]

Originally Posted by adits

Are you sure of this fare? I paid 1,250 for Mumbai - Bangalore with Neeta (Volvo Sleeperette) in 2005

Yes adits, I am sure of this information. You can check out yourself at http://msrtc.gov.in

Cheers
abhijeet

[adits]

Originally Posted by coriollis

Yes adits, I am sure of this information. You can check out yourself at msrtc.gov.in

Cheers
abhijeet

Guess I got ripped off by Neeta then

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by coriollis

Yes adits, I am sure of this information. You can check out yourself at http://msrtc.gov.in

Actually MSRTC follows a differential pricing for the Mumbai - Bangalore service. On weekdays it is Rs 990 and on weekends it is 1090. Please see the attached screenshot.

Here is a picture of the damaged Volvo. According to another article in Hindustan Times, it is an MH 15 registered bus, meaning that it was not owned by MSRTC.

[amitwlele]

Originally Posted by amitwlele

Start Swargate - Dadar or Swargate - Bombay Central buses via Chandni Chowk. Currently they have only Swargate - Borivali buses.

Had to go to Chembur over the weekend and since was going alone decided to take Shivneri after a long time. While doing the online booking was pleasantly surprised to see that an hourly Swargate - Dadar service via Chandni Chowk has been started. Not sure how long it has been operational.

This is a boon especially while returning from Mumbai. Can get down at Vanaz rather than going to University and taking a rick back home.

One Way Fare Rs.370.

I infact had to pay double the amount for my trip from Pune to Chembur. Had done the online booking, took the prints but forgot to carry them while going to the bus stop. Remembered about it when the bus arrived at Vanaz. Tried hard convincing the attendant that you can see my name in the list and cross check my identity proof. But he flatly refused. So had to pay the fare again.

How i wish MSRTC goes the IRCTC way and sends SMS of the booking. No Print outs. Show SMS and Identity proof and you are ready to go.

[neofromcapone]

Originally Posted by amitwlele

How i wish MSRTC goes the IRCTC way and sends SMS of the booking. No Print outs. Show SMS and Identity proof and you are ready to go.

Last October I traveled from Chandigarh to Amritsar on the Punjab State Transport Bus, (like Shivneri) I bought the ticket at the counter and he took my mobile number to send the ticket arrived via SMS.
I guess it is a matter of implementation in Maharashtra.

[coriollis]

Originally Posted by amitwlele

So had to pay the fare again.
How i wish MSRTC goes the IRCTC way and sends SMS of the booking. No Print outs. Show SMS and Identity proof and you are ready to go.

Amit,
What was the date you travelled? Because, now days Msrtc accepts ticket shown on laptops and smart phones. I guess this step was taken after my repeated suggestions ;-) in their feedback section.

Another welcome change:
You can now cancel your e-ticket 2 hours prior to the journey, which earlier could be canceled only 2 days before, most ridiculous IMO.

You can claim a refund if your journey date falls after their decision to accept e tickets on electronic media.

Cheers,
Abhijeet.

[athanedar]

Originally Posted by amitwlele

Had to go to Chembur over the weekend and
How i wish MSRTC goes the IRCTC way and sends SMS of the booking. No Print outs. Show SMS and Identity proof and you are ready to go.

I can feel the frustration you might have experienced. Our folks need a long training in customer service