Schumi0101

Saturday, 4 May 2024

KKRTC| Kalyana Karnataka Saarige| Cabin ride|Bidar to Kalaburagi| Non Stop Service

It had been a while since I travelled on this stretch between Bidar and Gulbarga. After reaching Bidar Bus Stand, I had to wait patiently for 45mins watching non stop buses departing towatrds Gulbarga. The buses were brand new BS6 front door buses which were recently inducted by KKRTC. Approx after 45mins, it was the turn of my bus which was waiting in the queue. It was a BS4, Ashok Leyland painted with Blue and White livery. Fare: ₹127/- I boarded the bus and headed straight to the front row seat(Single seat). I checked with the crew if I could occupy the seat and the response was positive. Within no time the bus was full and we departed. The heat was unbearable as we exited Bidar and headed towards Gulbarga. Most part of the highway was 4 lane with some construction activity happening at few plavces but what kept me enthralled was the sound of the gruntling engine next to me. After a 2hr 20mins ride with a short stop at Humnabad Bus Stand, we reached Gulbarga Central Bus Stand.

KSRTC| Airavat Club Class| Cabin ride|Mysuru to Bengaluru|VolvoB9R

KSRTC| Airavat Club Class| Cabin ride|Mysuru to Bengaluru|VolvoB9R It was time to head home from Mysore and reached the Mysore Bus Stand. Bangalore bound buses were all lined up for departure. However, it had been a while since I tried the erstwhile Volvo B9R. I knew a bus from ooty was scheduled to arrive however, was not sure about its timings. Hence, I boarded an EV Power+ bus and was settling in when my friend comfirmed that the bus is reaching soon. He had co-ordinated with the crew of the bus and thanks to his efforts, I was now sure of getting a seat for the ride back home. Journey Date: 1st March 2024 Fare: ₹390/- After alighting from the EV bus, i waited for a mere 5mins and the bus showed up. The bus had departed from Ooty at 11:18 AM and its scheduled time to reach Mysore was 15:45hrs. However, the bus was running early and reached at 15:15hrs. Most of the passengers alighted here while a remaining few stayed back. Myself and one more person boarded the bus and the crew without wasting anytime resumed the journey. The bus quickly made its way out of Mysore city and the crew change happened just before getting on the highway. The friendly crew obliged my request for a cabin ride and thus the journey started. The bus was being driven at good speeds and with the new highway, we were inching closer to Bangalore at every passing minute. We reached the famous drone pint on the highway and to my delight we encountered Gol Gumbaz express with an EMD heading towards Bangalore as we drover over the bridge. Within no time we entered the Bangalore city limits and were dropped off at Kengeri Bus Stand at 17:20hrs

Ashwamedha Classic| KSRTC| Point to Point Service| Bengaluru to Mysuru|

Ashwamedha Classic| KSRTC| Point to Point Service| Bengaluru to Mysuru| KSRTC in the month of February launched saarige buses in a new avatar, Ashwamedha Classic. These newly inducted buses, which are upgraded versions of Karnataka Saarige buses, will operate on point-to-point routes. The buses come equipped with mobile charger(Only at the front row seat), front and rear LED destination boards, panic buttons and public address system among other features. It was time to try this newly launched service. Journey Date: 1st March 2024 Fare: ₹186/- The bus was already ready for departure towards Mysore from Satellite Bus Stand in Bangalore. Luckily, i was able to grab a front row seat and we left immediately with around 20 seats on board. We picked up few more passengers along the way and the bus had appox 30+ passengers while we departed from Kengeri. Speed locked at 80kmph, driving was very sedate on the Highway. The seats of the bus does not have a proper headrest. This will ensure passengers having a sore neck while travelling on longer routes. Hope KSRTC identified this and makes changes in the next set of buses. Apart from this, the engine noise was bare minimum and in no time we had reached Mandya. With over 100+ buses already delivered, we were able to see many Ashwamedha buses on the opposite lane towards Bangalore. We reached Mysore and were greeted with a line of brand new buses being delivered, heading their way to the depot. The driver of our bus mentioned that Mysore division is expected to get appox 40 buses in the upcoming days. We reached Mysore Bus Stand with a total travel time of 2hrs 20mins

PALLAKKI |KSRTC| Kalaburagi to Davanagere | Non AC Sleeper Bus

Kalaburagi to Davanagere in KSRTC's Pallakki Non AC Sleeper Bus Pallaki buses with a tagline ‘Happiness is travelling was recently introduced by KSRTC to cater overnight journeys. Built on 13.5mtr patform, these buses have 30 sleeping berths and has a facility of reading lamps and mobile charging facilities. The buses have wider berth spaces which ensure a comfortable ride throughout the journey Journey Date: 16th Feb 2024 Fare: ₹967/- I reached Kalaburagi Bus Stand way ahead of the departure time only to spot my bus getting ready for the journey. 20mins before the scheduled departure time, the bus made its way to the platform. I had my ticket checked and made my way to the berth. We had appox 15 passengers in Kalaburagi and another 5+ passengers boarding at destinations along the route. We departed on time and slowly made our way out of the bus stand. After a 20mins ride, we had reached the outskirts of the city and were heading towards Jevargi The bus had to negotiate traffic and speed breakers along the route slowing the speed considerably. We stopped for dinner after a 90mins drive and were soon joined by the gleaming Kalyana Ratha Volvo Sleeper. We resumed our journey on the bumpy roads while I headed for a nap. When I woke up the bus was exiting Hospete Bus Stand and soon headed towards the tunnel. The narrow and curvy roads kept the speeds checked and at appox 6:15AM we reached Davanagere

KALYANA RATHA| KKRTC| Bengaluru to Kalaburgi | Volvo 9600s Sleeper Bus

Kalyana Ratha, KKRTC's newest crown jewel in its inventory. Introduced in August 2023 these swanky Volvo buses based on 9600s platform are the comfortable sleeper buses on the road. KKRTC initially introduced these buses between Bangalore and Sindhanoor and in January 2024 introduced buses from Kalaburgi(Gulbarga) to Bengaluru. The route from Bangalore to Kalaburgi is via Ananthapur, Gooty, Mantralaya, Raichur, Shahapur and Jewargi. Journey Date: 15th Feb 2024 Fare: 1517/- I reached Kempegowda Bus Stand appox 40mins before the departure time of 20:00hrs. However, the bus was not parked at the regular platform catering Gulbarga bound buses However, was parked at the Hyderabad bound bus terminal. I checked in my ticket and made my way to the seat. The bus was neat and well maintained. The bus departed at 20:15hrs, thanks to few passengers showing up late We made our way out of the city by picking up passengers at Esteem mall and Yelahanka and in no time crossed the toll gates near KIAL. The bus was speed locked and was cruising at a max speed of 80kmph. We soon pulled over for dinner near Chikkaballapur. Both the service and dinner here was average and very soon we were joined by other buses heading to Hyderabad We resumed over journey back on NH-44 with the bus steadily being driven. We crossed Karnataka border and entered Andhra Pradesh. We crossed Penukonda and in no time crossed Ananathapur toll. After crosing the toll, we took a deviation towards Gooty. With this deviation, we were all set to say good bye to smooth roads of National Highway and welcomed the battered and bruised roads leading to Gooty and beyond. The roads were narrow at some places making it very difficult for vehicles to pass. The battered roads meant we had to drive very slowly negotiating crater sized potholes. We reached Mantralaya by 3:30am and couple of passengers got down here. We resumed our journey towards Raichur with the road conditions showing no sign of improvement. We headed towards Devadurga and entered Shahapura. The roads here were quite challenging to drive on. The part of the roads where you could drive on were riddled with unscientific speed breakers at every few 100mts and the remaining stretch of the roads had no asphalt. However, the crew did their best to ensure a smooth ride. We were dropped off in Kalaburgi at 8:30am.

Bengaluru to Gokarna| KSRTC| Non AC Sleeper 13.8mtr Proto|

KSRTC in the month of February launched a prototype version of AC and Non AC sleeper buses. These buses which are 13.5-mtr in length has 36 sleeepr berths which were built on Tata LPO 1822/69 chassis by IMAC Coach Builders. Fare: ₹975/- Reaching the bus stand early, i was eagerly waiting for the bus to show up. I had spotted this bus during my previous journey and planned for a journey on the same. The bus arrived and backed up to the platform. Being a weekday, the bus had apox 25+ seats full. The bus departed on time and made its way towards the highway. We pulled over for dinner at Sree Rathnam on NH-4. After the journey we resumed our journey. Initially the bus was travelling via Shivmoga however, was recently changed and now goes via Haveri, Sirsi and Kumta. The bus was speed locked however was not severely underpowered. We reached Haveri in no time and deviated towards Sirsi. We entered Devimane ghat roads and negotiated the roads which are under construction. We reached Kumta before time and took a short break before resuming the journey. Most passengers alighted here and we resumed our journey. We reached Gokarna on time ending an amazing journey from Bangalore to Gokarna --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amoghavarsha|Panaji to Kalaburagi| KKRTC| Non AC Sleeper

KKRTC recently launched Non Ac Sleepers to replace their existing fleet of buses, These buses built on Ashok Leyland chassis are branded as 'Amoghavrasha'. The buses built by Shree Damodar Coach crafts have 30berths with 2x1 configuraton. Fare: ₹975/- These buses have been recently introduced between Kalaburagi and Panaji.We reached Panaji bus stand before time and spotted the bus already parked at the platform. The bus departed 5mins beyond scheduled time due to delay in passengers boarding the bus. We exited city amidst heavy traffice and made our way towards Anmod Ghat. The route of the bus takes us via Belagavi, Bagalkote and Jewargi. We reached the ghat roads and were welcomed with huge truck traffic. We negotiated through bad strecthes of the Ghat road and stopped for Dinner. The food was average but slightly expensive. We resumed our journey and I decided to take a nap. When I wokeup the bus had reached Belagavi around 10:45PM. The bus was constantly being stopped at various checkpost for checking on account of the upcoming elections. We reached Kalaburagi at 6:45AM, delayed due to bad roads and checking related stops along the way. The service is a must try if you have plans of travelling on this stretch

Vijayanand Travels |Hubli to Mumbai| VRL| Volvo 9600s AC Sleeper

Vijayanad Travels(VRL) has recently upgraded their fleet and added Volvo 9600s AC Sleeper coaches. These fully built coaches of Volvo comprises 40 Sleeping berths in 2x1 configuration. Fare: ₹1250/- I reached VRL office at Basava Vana in Hubballi. The place was buzzing with activity. A pickup van soon arived and picked up passengers. My bus was arriving from Bangalore and was running late by 30mins. We reached the pickup point on the highway near Gabbur Toll and waited for 20mins for the bus to arrive. The bus arrive at appox 8:40PM and we departed few mins later. The bus had took a break for dinner immediately after crossing Dharwad Bypass. The place was filled to the brim while the food and washrooms were average. After a 30mins break we resumed our journey while I decided to take a nap. The comfort of Volvo ensured I slept all the way till Satara. I woke up somewhere after Satara. The road construction work and bad patches at certain stretches had delayed the bus further. We reached Pune by 5:50AM. We pulled into their Pune office to find brand new 9600s buses(3nos) and Volvo Eicher AC sleeper (2 nos) awaiting for registration. We resumed our journey and took our breakfast break on the Expressway. After a 20mins break, we resumed our journey again. I was dropped off at Borivali National Park at 10:35AM while the bus headed towards Mira Road

Cabin Ride|KKRTC| Kalyana Karnataka Saarige|Gulbarga to Vijayapura

Fare: ₹ 210/- A Short cabin ride from Kalaburagi to Vijayapura(Bijapur). The distance between these two cities is appox 150kms and takes apox 3.5hrs to complete the journey. We boarded KKRTC's Kalyan Karnataka Saarige from Kalaburagi Central Bus stand and headed towards Bijapura via Jewargi. Witnessed quite a few overtakes along the route before reaching Vijayapura completing the journey in 3.5hrs journey.

NWKRTC|Vijayapura to Hubballi|Airavat Club Class|Volvo AC Semi Sleeper|Travel Vlog

Fare: ₹371/- (Reserved Online) Hubli division has introduced Airavat Club Class (Volvo Semi Sleeper) buses between Hubballi to Vijayapura( Bijapur). We departed at 14:00PM and took the route via UKP, Gaddanakeri Cross, Nargund and Hubli. The bus was driven at a steady pace and the journey took appox 5hrs as we encountered traffice along the route

KSRTC|Pune to Bangalore|Ambaari Dream Class|Volvo AC Sleeper|Travel Vlog

Video Link: KSRTC|Pune to Bangalore|Ambaari Dream Class|Volvo AC Sleeper|Travel Vlog

While the newest edition of sleeper buse are the Ambaari Utsav, Ambaari dream class services were launched few years ago. These buses are built on Volvo B11R chassis. powered by a 10,800cc turbo-diesel engine We decided to try this service for our journey from Pune to Bangalore for two reasons. 1. This bus was built by MG Automotives in which I had not travellled before and teh second reason being the crew was well known to me Fare: ₹2087/- We reached the Pune Swargate bus stand on time to spot the bus being reveresed to this scheduled pickup spot. The crew greeted me and with passengers already waiting, we finished boarding in less than 15mins. We departed on time with the Shirdi-Bangalore service trailing behind us. We exited Pune via Katraj wonder city and soon joined NH48 traveing through New Katraj Tunnel. With the road consruction along the NH, the bus was running slighty behind schedule and we pulled over for Dinner at Hotel Navami. We resumed journey post dinner and entered KA border. Our bus was stopped as a part of routine checking. After spending appox 20min here we resumed our journey again. We crossed Belagavi after which we picked up some speed. The next morning when i woke up we had crossed Chitradurga but the bus was already running late by 40mins. Traffic jam near Tumkur ensured the bus was delayed even further. We stopped for Breakfast for 20mins and resumed our journey. We reached Bangalore (Kempegowds Bus Stand) at 10:30AM delayed by 2.5hrs

Sunday, 11 February 2024

20623 Malgudi SF EXPRESS hauled by WAP7 departing from Kengeri Railway Station

20623 Malgudi SF EXPRESS

YOUTUBE LINK: 20623 Malgudi SF EXPRESS

Thursday, 1 February 2024

KSRTC Airavat overtakes Anand Travels bus near Ankola

KSRTC Airavat overtakes lightning fast Anand Travels bus heading towards Mangalore

video link

Ksrtc Airavat overtakes Anand Travels

Tuesday, 23 January 2024

KSRTC 'PALLAKKI" Non AC Sleeper

KSRTC PALLAKKI NON AC SLEEPER

Thursday, 14 January 2021

Bangalore to Kukke Subrahmanya via Bisle Ghat

Journey through Bisle Ghat

Date of Journey: 14/01/2021
Service: Karnataka Sarige
Website- http://www.https://ksrtc.in/
Fare: 299/-

Like every other traveler, I have always cherised every moment while traveling. However, 2020 turned out to be a dreadful year for everyone. Like all other industries, tourism took a beating due to the pandemic. Lockdown and travel restrictions made matters worse but slowly the world has started to limp back on its feet.

Sitting at home working for long hours was taking a huge toll with stress levels soaring high. However, with the vaccine now in place and the cases slowly dropping, I decided to start this year by visiting the famous Kukke Subrahmanya temple.

Traveling to Kukke Subrahmanya temple via road is the best option. With KSRTC and other Pvt operators starting services, accessing this holy abode is hassle free. The usual route is via CR Patna, Hassan, Sakaleshpur, Shiradi Ghat and Gundya cross. However, there is another route which many don't dare to take.. via the famous Bisle Ghat road!!

Back in 2019 during a conversation with my friend, we were discussing about an alternate route to travel to Kukke and he suggested the Bisle Ghat. Incidentally, he traveled on the same stretch last year after the restrictions were eased and he shared stories about the stretch which was mesmerizing.

KSRTC operates couple of services (both day / night) to Kukke via Bisle. After discussing with my friend, I decided to book the 23:15 service from Bangalore.

I reached the bus stand well ahead of time. Spotting the buses lined up to travel to their respective destinations after a long time was a sight to behold. However, the crowd were less in number and the buses were running almost half full. Traveling in a bus after almost an year was really exciting and to ensure that the journey is uneventful, I had booked seat# 5 which would ensure that I have a beautiful view of the ghat road during the night.

The conductor checked my ticket and said since the crew rests in next row, he wanted to know if I was comfortable to shift to the row behind. He mentioned that the seat next to it will be empty. Once I told him why I booked the specific seat, he smiled and told me to enjoy the journey.

The bus started and we began to pull off from the platform on time. It was after one year since I was in a bus and nothing was about to stop my excitement. Well that was untill we reached bisle

The bus takes a different stretch. It travels with CR Patna, Arkalgud, Shanivarsanthe and enters the Bisle forest range. Since I wanted to stay awake later in the night, I decided to get some shut eyes. I remember the bus heading towards kunigal bypass before sleep consuming me. The next time I woke up, we were in CR Patna. I asked the crew about what time we'll reach the Bisle Ghat and he said he'll wake me up at Arkalgud. I slept again and the next thing I remembered was when the bus stopped at Arkalgud for tea. After enjoying a hot cup of tea with the crew, I was all set to enjoy the journey up ahead.

We quickly passed Shanivarsanthe and entered the Bisle forest range. The officer at the gate mentioned that it had rained moderately few hours ago and informed us to drive carefully. Since this stretch is also an alternative to shiradi ghat, the roads are being laid with concrete. We entered the stretch and then the journey began.

It was pitch dark and with no vehicles insight it was an eery silence. Our driver showed his expertise in negotiating every corner and bends with ease. At some stretches the road would get so narrow that the bus would barely turn forcing us to drive on the edge of the barriers. But again our driver was upto the challenge. The eery silence and darkness of this stretch was enough to give even the brave hearted a worst nightmare. I knew I've met my match when I asked the driver how long before we reach kukke. The driver laughed and said... Sir.. innu neevu yenu nodilla.. (Sir, you still haven't witnessed anything yet). The cold night was somehow hiding my sweat and then we started to hit the bad stretches which were under construction. Our driver switched to off road driving mode as there was no more roads to drive on. I held on to my seat firmly as the bus swayed around on the bumpy roads negotiating unimaginable bank angles. After a nerve wracking journey, we finally exited the stretch and reached the highway.

I had a huge sigh of relief seeing butter smooth road and traffic. Never was I so happy to see some traffic as the bus slowly headed towards the bus stand. At around 6:00AM, I was dropped off at the bus stand. I thanked the crew and they asked if I was returning in the same bus. I told them about my plans of heading to Udupi and bid adieu to the crew.

Of all the journeys that I have undertaken in my life, this journey will be the most memorable one. While the stretch was scary in night, the crew kept on telling how scenic it gets during the day. The crew mentioned how people like us specifically choose this stretch to travel and insisted that I travel with them again during the day.

Tuesday, 17 November 2020

KSRTC B8R prepares to depart from Bangalore.

Sunday, 20 November 2016

Bangalore to Shirdi in KSRTC Airavat Diamond Class

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

Date of Journey: 20/11/2016
Service: KSRTC Airavat Diamond Class.
Website- www.ksrtc.in
Distance: 1,010kms (appox)

This visit required not planning as visiting the shrine of sai baba was pending from quite some time. My friend did all the planning and it was time to depart towards Shirdi

Diamond class

Few weeks prior to booking the tickets on this bus, I checked redbus and found srs n vrl operating quite a few buses to Shirdi. But I zeroed in on KSRTC as always.

File pic

Time doesn't wait for none

As per initial plans, we both had selected the boarding points as navarang. However work caught up and I was left to board the bus in majestic.
Logging out from work, I made a dash to the nearest metro station from office and boarded a metro train to Majestic. The ride was quick and I reached Majestic with ten minutes to spare.

Familiar faces welcomed me and with the clock striking 1pm we began our journey. We slowly crawled out of the bus stand the bus slowly navigated through okalipuram junction and headed towards navarang. We reached there in no time. We picked up my friend and few more passengers and we headed further to fight the Bangalore traffic which was building waiting up ahead.

Meanwhile, I took a glance at the chart and found that the bus was not even half full. With the addition of chitradurga and davangere as the boarding points, we had few passengers boarding from davangere bypass.

Open tolls open highways

Thanks to the recent government orders, all tolls were open and free. This meant no waiting at toll gates. We passed the yeswanthpur tollway like a breeze and crossed the nelmangala tollway in seconds.

Hunger crept in and I was eager to know if KSRTC had finally changed the hotel. The answer was positive. We pulled over into Sri Ratnam hotel.

After a heavy meal, it was time to get some quick shut eyes. However, a ride in seat 1 and 2 takes away your sleep and keeps you glued to the open highway.

We reached Davangere bypass and picked up few more passengers and further pushed ahead. Few Kannada flicks kept the passengers entertained and very soon we reached kamat restaurant at Ranebennur. Few minutes into our stop, the fairly new kanva 9r joined us. The place was now crowded. We departed after a short break and rejoined the highway. Finally, I slipped into a deep slumber. The comfort and the driving style of KSRTC crew ensured a comfortable sleep. My friend woke me up for dinner as we were pulling into hotel Kaveri on the tip of Nippani ghat roads.

Few minutes into the break and the crown jewel of national travels, 'Aashiqui' B9R coming from mumbai joined us for dinner.

We finished our Dinner break and rejoined the highway. I decided to resume my sleep. At around 2:30am I woke up and headed upfront. The chilly cabin and the cold night was of no help. We soon pulled over after satara toll for a bio break. The crew change happened here and I decided to head back to resume my sleep.

When I woke up again, I found we had entered Ahmednagar as the bypass roads is in a bad shape. However, the road inside the town was of no help and the traffic sense of the motorists was making our driver less comfortable. The bad stretch, honking and sudden braking was not helping both the driver and the passengers. However we passed through the rough stretch.

“However distant my people may be, I draw them to me just as we pull a bird to us with a string tied to its foot.”

I woke up again only to find that we had almost reached Holiday park hotel, the last stop of our journey. Within no time we pulled into the hotel compound. I thanked the crew and bid good bye to crew.

Monday, 4 April 2016

Mumbai to Bangalore in VRL B11R I-shift SemiSleeper

Date of Journey: 04/04/2016
Service: VRL Travels
Website- http://www.vrlbus.in/vrl2013/booking_home_page.aspx
Distance: 1020kms(appox)
Fare: 905/-

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustave Flaubert

This was one trip which I postponed ever since the first pictures of the majestic B11r of VRL surfaced on the internet. The time finally arrived to book the tickets on the face lifted Volvo B11R. I waited eagerly for the trip as it was almost 2years since I last boarded this Swedish giant.

D-Day

Time: 13:50hrs

I was at my pickup point in Borivali a good 45mins early to ensure not to miss the arrival of this bus and as expected, she did not disappoint me. Amidst the bustling traffic, she honked her way towards the awaiting passengers. I boarded the bus and immediately made by way towards the rear of the bus. There were appox 6-8 passengers boarding here. The pickup man was busy calling a passenger who was yet to show up.

The bus had done a mere 4900kms on the Odo. Needless to say but the interiors were all brand new added with a touch of VRL’s upkeep and maintenance which welcomed passengers. The engine noise inside the bus was bare minimum with absolutely no vibrations. After a brief halt, we began our journey. I headed to the last row seats and noticed the heat insulation and engine noise were much better than the earlier version. We headed towards Malad (Shantaram Talav) to pick up the next set of passengers. We were also a pickup bus for a Mysore bound VRL 9R who was waiting up ahead in Sion. All but one passenger was yet to show up. The pickup man was trying his best to reach this lone passenger but he was nowhere to be seen. After a good 20mins delay, the passenger showed up. Without little remorse for delaying the bus or for making other passengers wait, he argued with the crew for rushing him through his work. The crew did not reply back however the cold stare from the waiting passengers inside the bus was enough for the late comer to realize his mistake.

We headed further and pulled over at Santacruz. Again we had a passenger who was yet to show up and thus the wait began. After another 30mins of delay, we began to move towards Andheri. Traffic was showing no mercy however the driver had no difficulty in managing the bus through the same. Luckily, we did not encounter anymore delay as we headed straight towards Sion. The Mysore bound bus was already waiting and passengers were immediately moved to their respective bus. From here we headed towards our last pickup point in Vashi for the final pickup point. We reached there in no time and our pickup man bid adieu here. We finally headed towards Panvel joining the scenic Express way.

I decided to stay upfront as always and the expressway did not disappoint me. The jump seat (cleaner’s seat) in the Volvo buses are positioned lower unlike the older models. So the view was not complete but I have no complaints on that. The driver kept the bus at a constant 90Kmph and ensured to let the fast running vehicles go by.

PUNE

We exited the expressway and were quickly welcomed by the notorious Pune traffic. I decided to get a quick nap and headed back to my seat. I woke up to find the bus stationary in Katraj around 7pm. The delay in Mumbai proved to be costly as we took a massive 5hrs to reach Pune. The bus was almost full here as we made our way out of Pune. I resumed my sleep immediately while a bollywood movie kept the passengers entertained.

Dinner Time

We pulled over for dinner at around 8pm. We were the lone vehicle however were quickly joined by few more VRL buses. Within few minutes the place was full as few more buses started to join in. We were the first ones out from here and rejoined the highway quickly.

Snooze

The night lamps (blue lights) were kept on however were not as bright as the ones in Scania buses. Sleep consumed me in no time as the bus made its way towards its destination. I woke up once in between to find the bus had just crossed into KA. I fell asleep almost immediately only to be woken up again as we were pulling inside the VRL workshop in Varur, Hubli. The bus was refueled here and in no time the journey resumed. I decided to stay upfront as I was no longer sleepy. We were constantly doing around 90Kmph on the odo and were overtaken mercilessly. We dropped off a passenger in Davangere bypass. The crew decided to wait as the family of the lone women who got down had not shown up. After a brief wait we resumed our journey.

Bengaluru calling

We pulled over in Tumkur (VRL stop) for a brief halt for refreshments. The crew was very quick and since we were just an hour and half away from our destination, the crew was in no mood to waste any time. We resumed our journey after an exact 20mins stop. We cruised at almost the same speeds as we crossed the Nelmangala Toll booth.

We took the Yeswanthpur expressway as always and Bangalore traffic was happy to welcome me with a couple of snarls. The bus pulled over in Yeswanthpur at 8:45am signaling the end of my journey

Will I try this service again?

For a regular traveler, this bus would make no difference, but a ride in this bus is a must try. The driving was very sedate and the crew did their best to make up for the lost time. The bus has less leg space, probably a row of less seat would make a difference. In all VRL’s quality of service is again unmatchable. This service is a must try.

Some pics taken in Mumbai

Monday, 24 August 2015

Hubli to Bangalore in Air Pegasus ATR- 72 500

Hubli to Bangalore in Air Pegasus ATR- 72 500

“If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing.” ― Coco Chanel

It was a getaway I was eagerly looking for when my friend invited me to Belgaum. I accepted the offer and was eagerly looking forward for the same. Though the trip was planned almost weeks in advance, a ride back home was always on my mind and being a fan of buses a numerous operators was already striking my mind.

A week before my travel, a huge hoarding outside my office grabbed my attention. The hoarding was advertising about Air Pegasus starting their second flight to Hubli to Bangalore. It did not take too long for me to decide my ride back home.

Air Pegasus is amongst the newest airline in India. It is a subsidiary of Decor Aviation, the largest ground handling service provider in South India. Armed with ATR 72-500 aircrafts, they commenced operations on 12 April 2015 with its inaugural flight between Bangalore and Hubli. After taking a quick look on their website, I decided to book the 16:40 flight from Hubli.

A lot of questions were on my mind about their service, load factor and the biggest and the jittery of them all- A Turboprop experience..!!

August 24^th, 2015- Time to fly

Flight No: OP112
Seat: 12A
Aircraft type: ATR-72 500
Aircraft Regn: VT-APA.

Pic courtesy: Sriram Hariharan,

After having a heavy meal, thanks to my friend Prashant it was time to head towards the Hubli Airport. The airport is located a mere 3kms from his place. After bidding adieu, I headed inside the small and cosy Hubli airport. I checked in my bag and picked up my boarding pass. The lady at the counter asked me if I had a seat of choice and I was quick to choose a window seat. While I headed towards the security checks, the final call for check in and security was announced on the PA system. A small room housed both the security as well as the waiting room for the passengers. I cleared the security check and settled down on the seat overlooking the runway.

A quick look around revealed around 40-45passengers waiting to board the plane. The passengers were mainly localities, few tourists and few from business fraternity. Another 15minutes passed by with few more adding to the list of waiting passengers. At around 4:15pm, the aircraft from Bangalore arrived. The plane had brought around 45 passengers from Bangalore. Not bad for a weekday load.

16:21hrs- Boarding time

The PA system came alive and passengers were requested to head for boarding. I decided to stay back till the queue subsided. Finally, I decided to head towards the awaiting plane. My boarding pass was checked and I headed out towards the awaiting plane. A sheer noise of metal being cut grabbed my attention. A quick look towards my left revealed the ill-fated Bombardier Q400 which skidded off the runway upon landing in March being scrapped.

Back to my airplane, I noticed the aircraft which was in operation was VT-APA. A quick search about the history of the plane revealed that it started its operation as VT-KAA of Kingfisher almost 9 years ago. There were two crew members on the plane, while the first crew member welcomed us on board and was busy assisting the senior passengers in boarding; the second crew member was guiding the passengers to their seats. The crew had done a great job to prepare the aircraft for the return leg of the journey as they had very less time.

The cabin was very well maintained. I took my seat and waited for the take off which was now just moments away. The seat next to me was empty. Boarding finished at 16:35pm and the doors were armed. The flight wasn't full but not many seats were empty. The Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127FM engines came alive and within no time we started to taxi towards the end of the runway. The crew went ahead with safety demonstration and finally we were airborne at 16:42hrs.

The take off went very smooth and made some quick turns before heading towards South. The seatbelt sign was turned off and within minutes the cabin crew came by with trolley to offer snacks. I picked up a Paper Boat, something to keep me accompanied. The crew was very patient and served every passenger with a smile. The clear blue skies outside however was very mesmerizing and it kept me glued to the window.

View of Hubli city

The seatbelt sign came back on at around 17:30hrs and we made some more turns and lined up for landing. We hit a small pocket of turbulence but nothing severe. We began to descend and finally touched down at 17:40hrs on Runway 27 and headed towards our parking stand. I could see a couple of Cobus 300 heading towards us. I came out of the airplane and found a Spicejet Bombardier arriving from an unknown location.

Spicejet Bombardier at KIAL

I boarded the waiting GlobeGroundIndia and headed towards the terminal. The baggage took quite some time to arrive. I was out of the airport by 18:25hrs.

Last Comments-

This was my first Turboprop experience and I must admit it was simply amazing. Yes, these planes are known to make more noise, but the sound inside the cabin was very low. The service from Air Pegasus was also outstanding. Full marks to the crew who served the passengers with a smile and never once were they angry or rude when they were repeatedly called for service. Being a short haul flight this is a definite try as it saves a lot of travel time between the two cities.

Monday, 10 August 2015

Club Class ride.. Again..!!!

Club Class ride.. Again..!!!

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

Date of journey: 10/8/15
Service: KSRTC Airavat Club Class.
Website: http://www.ksrtc.in/
Departure: 15:00hrs
Distance- 1020kms(appox)

It was raining heavily without any respite. Mumbai was getting its fair share of monsoon rains. With my bags packed, it was time to say good bye to the wonderful and full of life filled city of Mumbai. With my ride home still heading towards Mumbai, I decided to bid adieu to comfortable home of my friend and headed to Sion.

Off all the times that I have traveled between these two cities, this was the first time I decided to board the bus even before it reached its destination on the onward journey. If you are a bus fan, then Sion is the place to be. Though the rains were pounding heavily, people were on the move in the ever bustling city.

9:15am- Sion

The white elephant honked his way towards me as I stood there braving the rain. The bus slowed down to pick me up. The crew greeted me and though I still had a long way to go, I knew my memorable journey had started. The bus had around 20 passengers waiting to disembark at their respective points. The city traffic was creating quite a flutter and with rains made it worse. I headed to the rear of the bus and took an empty seat as the bus made its way towards Mumbai Central.

14:45pm- Time for departure

While I took a stroll around the bus stand, the crews were busy preparing the bus for the return journey. I came back to find the bus waiting in the platform ready for departure. There were 4 passengers including myself who were boarding the bus from this place. We took a couple of more seats for Bangalore.

At the strike of 15:00pm, we honked our way out of the bus stand. The narrow lanes leading out of the bus stand, traffic and the rain made the ride a little uncomfortable but our man was up for challenge. We headed towards Sion and very soon the traffic began to thin out. The high rises of Mumbai is absolutely stunning to watch as we coasted towards our destination.

Pickup time

A quick glance at the reservation chart revealed that there were around 15passengers boarding from Mumbai. A separate chart was to be given in Kotrud for passengers boarding the bus from Swargate, Pune.

We pulled over at Sion for our first set of pickup. No sooner we picked up our passengers we headed towards Chembur. We reached there in no time, thanks to less traffic. We took few more passengers and the last sets of passengers were waiting at Panvel. Enroute to Panvel, we crossed Sion-Panvel E-way and Vashi toll which was having a fair amount of traffic. At 16:28pm the last set of passengers had boarded the bus as we floored the bus towards Pune.

Mumbai-Pune Expressway (Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai Pune Expressway)

Well, words alone cannot describe this section of the highway. This is India's first six-lane concrete, high-speed expressway and this has certainly introduced new levels of speed and safety in automobile transportation to Indian roads. Sadly few (in)sane drivers try to push too hard and the results are devastating. Witnessing few such incidents enroute was certainly scary. We neared our first toll, Khalapur toll station. A notice was put out about maintenance being done at the Ghats.

We crossed the toll and headed towards Lonavala. Enroute to Lonavala, we crossed the Adoshi tunnel. A landslide near the same Adoshi tunnel few weeks ago had claimed the life of 2 people travelling in a car. The section was however cleared and traffic was flowing effortlessly. The scenic Lonavala ghat never failed to impress travelers along the route and to witness this sitting at the front was breathtaking.

We finally pulled over for our first break near Lonavala.

19:30hrs- Pune.

We headed towards the city which was once the base of the prime ministers of the Maratha Empire. We exited the E-way and headed towards Kotrud. As always Pune welcomed us with a traffic jam as we slowly coasted towards Swargate. We reached swargate by 19:30hrs, 30minutes before the scheduled time.

Many passengers made a bee line while our conductor came with the new reservation sheet. The 19:00pm Bangalore bound Nasik-Bangalore was nowhere in sight. Our conductor has some hard time as there was some confusion with passengers.

Finally running late by 45minutes, the club class from Nasik pulled into the bus stand. He took his set of passengers and was off in a flash while we waited for a lone passenger. Finally, the lone passenger showed up with a ‘Sorry’ and boarded the bus. We immediately moved out however the damage was done. We wasted approx 40mins as we headed our way back to the highway. We tailgated the Nasik Club Class till Katraj and at the junction took a right turn towards the new Katraj tunnel while he headed straight towards the old Ghat roads.

Finally, hunger started to creep in as I looked forward for my dinner break. We pulled over in Natraj and were greeted by an empty parking lot. After enjoying a scrumptious meal, it was time to return back.

Snooze mode

We started the journey back after a crew change. All the traveling from past couple of days had taken a toll and finally it was time to rest. I sank in my seat and before I knew it, sleep consumed me. The front row ride, No honking, no swerving around ride ensure a good night sleep. I woke up once at Hubli near the toll and fell back asleep in seconds. The ride comfort ensured passengers had a comfortable sleep as the bus coasted towards its destination.

6:20am- Hiriyur

A senseless truck changing lane without indicators and a subsequent honking woke me up. The cloudy weather of Hiriyur welcomed us. I tried to sink back into sleep again however; we were heading straight to our last stop of the journey, the breakfast stop.

A lone standing pancharangi from Hubli welcomed us in. Within minutes, we were joined by Naskik-Bangalore B9R. 15minutes into the break and it was time for the Davangere Club Class to join us in. We were the first one to move out and joined the highway quickly. We coasted along the relatively empty highway as we crossed Sira in no time. We neared Tumkur bypass and pulled over to drop off a passenger.

I knew I was home when I spotted a packed BMTC bus heading towards Nelamangala toll. My journey was now coming to an end. I sat back in my seat as the bus coasted on the Nelamangala-Yeswanthpur toll way. We dropped off few passengers in Gorguntepalya and headed towards Yeswanthpur Railway station. Since, the bus does not go via Navrang, I got down at Yeswanthpur bidding adieu to the crew and thanking them for all the memorable moments along the journey.

Will I try this service again.

Since this bus departs from Mumbai Central, I am really not sure if I will be able to travel in this bus again. But I am certainly looking forward for another journey with them.