Living the Scania
dream
“The journey not the
arrival matters.- T. S. Eliot”
Date of Journey: 18/08/2014
Service: SRS Travels
Website- http://www.srsbooking.com/
Distance: 1020kms(appox)
Fare: 1364/-
Service: SRS Travels
Website- http://www.srsbooking.com/
Distance: 1020kms(appox)
Fare: 1364/-
Scania Mania- 2
It was almost two months since SRS launched Scania buses on
the busy Mumbai-Bangalore sector. Having tried this service once, I was eagerly
waiting for an opportunity to try this service again. It was around 2pm on a
sleepy Saturday afternoon when I started to sketch plans for my return journey.
Airavat Club Class was on the menu
considering the fact that one of my very best friend was on duty that day. I
called him up immediately to confirm if he was available only to know he was
not coming to Mumbai that day. Without further delay I launched the SRS website
and found tickets available at the last 2 rows. I booked my tickets immediately
and the wait for the journey began.
D-Day
Mumbai city was gleaming with colorful celebration of Gokulashtami,
celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna. Dahi Handi was being celebrated
with enormous zeal and enthusiasm at every look and corner of the city and the
very sight of the same was fascinating. With the clock ticking, my friend
decided to drop me at Borivali way ahead of my boarding time to avoid last
minute rush considering the traffic snarls across the city. After enjoying a
lovely meal, I decided to call one of the Scania crew to check if he was on
duty that day. The answer was positive and he replied he had just departed from
Mira Road. While the wait continued, scores of B9R from Neeta, Purple, VRL were
picking up passengers to their respective destinations. Exactly at 14:48hrs,
she showed up and the wait was finally over.
The bus waited for few minutes and began to move
immediately, I boarded the bus at the last minute and the crew welcomed me in.
I headed straight to my seat and dropped my luggage and made my way to the
front. Though being a Monday, the bus
was running full with most of the passengers boarding from Andheri, Chembur and
Vashi. Around 15 seats were booked from Pune. However getting to the pickup
points was getting increasingly difficult as the traffic was piled up for
miles. After picking up passengers at Malad, we headed towards Andheri . The
pickup man was calling up passengers and was keeping them informed about the
delay however few anxious passengers were calling at regular intervals to know
the location of the bus. We crossed Chembur and finally headed out towards Navi
Mumbai and the traffic slowly began to thin out. We reached Panvel in no time
and with all passengers picked up, it was time to enjoy the journey.
The view of the expressway was amazing and with the speeds
now locked at 95kmph, the driving was were relaxed and sedate. The weather up
ahead was not a worry as we cruised along towards Pune. I decided to stay back
in the cabin shunning my comfortable seat.
We reached Pune only to be welcomed by traffic which
continued all the way till Katraj. After picking up passengers at Katraj, we
took a U-turn and headed back to the highway as the road up ahead was jammed
due to festival celebrations. We finally
decided to make a dash for our dinner break as our stomach was now growling. We
reach Amruth Garden in no time and pulled over for the last break for the
night. After enjoying a very heavy dinner, thanks to the crew it was time to
resume to journey. The crew change happened here and I again decided to stay
back at the front as I had decided to make the best out of the journey.
We resumed our journey and decided to make up for some lost
time in traffic but the roads up ahead had other plans. Thanks to the callous
attitude of the NHAI, the roads are riddled with potholes and endless
diversions. It made me wonder why pay high tolls when the roads are so pathetic.
As soon as we neared Satara, few spots of rain was noticed and as we neared Kolhapur
the skies opened up. Rains began to lash. The bus handled the slippery
conditions with ease as we crossed into Karnataka and pulled over at the RTO
checkpoint. Though it was in the mid of the night and with rain, the RTO
official took a detailed view of the luggage compartment to ensure no cargo was
being carried. After ensuring the same, he checked the vehicle documents and we
resumed our journey further. We pulled over at Nippani for a fuel/Bio break.
The beast gulped in around 98ltrs of fuel and after a quick stop we resumed our
journey. Finally as we crossed Belgaum, the rains stopped however we
encountered Mist bringing down visibility. We slowed down to ensure we pass the
stretch with no hassles and to witness this sitting up front was just amazing.
Finally, my body started showing signs of fatigue and I decided to rest for the
day. We reached Hubli bypass and the crew change happened here. I headed back to my seat to get a good night
sleep. There was ample leg room with the seat infront of me fully reclined. The
sound of the 13lr engine was musical as I closed my eyes.
Bangalore’s calling-
It was around 6:30am when the PA system came alive with the
crew announcing breakfast stop. We pulled over at the regular Aroma restaurant
near Sira as a couple of Paulo buses welcomed us in. With Bangalore another
couple of hours, I decided to skip the breakfast only to be forced by crew.
While at this juncture Sharma’s Luxura Sleeper and Paulo’s Man showed up. We
resumed our journey and I decided to stay back at the front to enjoy the rest
of the journey.
As we neared Bangalore I felt a little saddened as I never
wished the journey ended. However all good things must come to an end and so
was this journey. We took the Yeswanthpur expressway as always and surprisingly
Bangalore traffic was moderate and not the mad rush which I am used to. Time
had come to say good bye to the crew with whom I spent unforgettable moments. The
bus pulled over in Navrang at 9:15am ending my wonderful journey.
Will I try this service again?
The service is really ideal for passengers who are regular on
Bangalore-Mumbai route. The driving was very sedate and the crew was really helpful
and ensured to keep the passengers comfortable throughout the journey. I on the other hand made the best out
of my journey and will eagerly look forward for another journey.
