My quest to try new operators adds to my confusion everytime I have to book a ticket. I was at a tie between two operators while I was searching for tickets from Bengaluru to Coimbatore this time as well - after a lot of 'research' and discussions on a WhatsApp group, I picked BSP travels. Like most of the new operators in the route, this bus also had a long pick-up ride in the city - I opted to board at Kalasipalya, which was the closest to my home.
September 14, 2019:
I have been having terribly tiring days, and this day was no different. I reached back home quite late from office and was tied up with some other official work. I had planned to have food from a nearby restaurant before setting out - but the lack of time made me look at alternatives. I decided to get a take-away instead. I packed in my food, and took a train to the metro station, from where the metro train ferried me to Kalasipalya.
The operator did not have an office in Kalasipalya - the boarding point was only mentioned as "Opposite Tipu Sultan Palace". The scheduled pick-up time was 2100hrs, and I had reached the place by 2030hrs. I received a call from the operator a little later - detailed pointers were provided to reach the pick-up point. I got to the place in no time - and the person who called me was waiting for me there. He continued calling other passengers, following up and confirming their pick-up locations. The bus started from its parking by now, and the live tracking links provided were helping me with the right information.
The bus arrived at 2050hrs - picked me and got moving immediately. It seemed I was the only passenger boarding from there. The interiors awed me - it was simple, but seriously well finished. A light colour was used for the interiors - and that added to the elegance. Adequate space was provided below each berth to store small bags, and there were small boxes (cubicles, rather) that could be used to keep footwear. Berths had backrests, which made it really comfortable to sit. There were wiring for placing LED screens for each berth - the screens weren't installed yet.
The bus headed straight to Shantinagar from Kalasipalya - it made a few stops on the way to make up time (we had left Kalasipalya 10 minutes early, and traffic was unusually light). We got to Shantinagar by 2109hrs - had a long halt for the passenger to turn up. The bus finally started off at 2115hrs from Shantinagar. The bus headed straight towards Richmond road, turned to MG road and headed through Halasuru. We got to the Old Madras road, crawled through Baiyappanahalli (2145hrs), and finally made a stop outside Krishnarajapuram Railway station (2156hrs) - passengers boarded quickly and we got moving soon later. Interestingly, there were hardly about 5 passengers on board, and I really wondered why they had to take this long pick-up route!
We turned towards Outer Ring Road and headed towards Marathahalli. On the way, the bus stopped at Bagmane Tech Park (2200hrs). We stopped for pick-up near Marathahalli bus stop (2205hrs) - this was a longish halt. The bus almost filled up here, and we got moving by 2220hrs. The next halt was at Bellandur (2230hrs) and then at Silk Board (2240hrs). There was absolutely no traffic on outer ring road, and we managed to get from Bellandur to Silk Board in just 10 minutes! The wait at Silk Board was quick - we got moving by 2243hrs. The bus didn't take the elevated highway - it went through Bommanahalli, and stopped for a pick-up near the Shell fuel station (2248hrs). Traffic was quite light, and it helped us a lot. The next pick-up was at Electronic city toll gate (2302hrs).
I had completed my dinner by now, and was all set to sleep. We stopped at Bommasandra (2307hrs) for a pick-up, and continued towards Hosur. We had few more passengers joining at Hosur - we completed pick-ups from Hosur (2328hrs) and started off. I was expecting the bus to stop for a break (as claimed by redbus) a little after Hosur - but the bus skipped the restaurant and rushed towards Salem. The bus was stopped at Shoolagiri on the request of a lady passenger - the break was short, and we got moving by 0000hrs. I hit the bed now, and slowly drifted asleep. I was woken up by the lights turning on, and the attendant calling out a break - we were at tea shop (Aavin Paalakam) for a quick break (0042hrs). It was raining outside - but I badly wanted a break. We started off after the quick break, at 0052hrs.
I slept soon after the bus started after break. It was a nice long sleep - I must appreciate the driving style - it was really sleep friendly. I felt the berth to be a little narrower than the ones in Prakash or Damodar (the best I've experienced), but was long enough and comfortable. I slept quite deeply - I was woken up only as the lights were turned on, and the attendant was calling out some stop - the announcement was not loud though. I checked the map, and found we were already in Coimbatore! We had already reached Lakshmi mills (0459hrs), and had started towards Gandhipuram already. The bus got to Gandhipuram (Central bus station) by 0505hrs - a whole 25 minutes in advance!
Remarks: The bus, KA-51-AD-7557, was in pristine shape. The interiors were in excellent shape - clean and well finished. The crew were great - they coordinated the pickup very efficiently, the driver drove really well and the attendant was friendly and supportive. Requests for breaks were handled properly - they stopped the bus for breaks twice, and both the situations did not hurry or get impatient. The bus maintained pace - but was not too fast. Even with low speeds, the run time from Silk Board to Coimbatore was only 6 hours and 22 minutes! Excellent run time, and great service from the crew. I am absolutely impressed with the service!
Amenities:
Blanket: Yes
Water: Yes
Snacks: No
Charging Point: Available, worked.
Entertainment: Not available.
Ratings:
Maintenance: 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Driving: 5/5
Crew behaviour: 5/5
Punctuality: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Pros: Great Service, Excellent crew.
Cons: Nothing really
Will I take this service again? Absolutely
September 14, 2019:
I have been having terribly tiring days, and this day was no different. I reached back home quite late from office and was tied up with some other official work. I had planned to have food from a nearby restaurant before setting out - but the lack of time made me look at alternatives. I decided to get a take-away instead. I packed in my food, and took a train to the metro station, from where the metro train ferried me to Kalasipalya.
The operator did not have an office in Kalasipalya - the boarding point was only mentioned as "Opposite Tipu Sultan Palace". The scheduled pick-up time was 2100hrs, and I had reached the place by 2030hrs. I received a call from the operator a little later - detailed pointers were provided to reach the pick-up point. I got to the place in no time - and the person who called me was waiting for me there. He continued calling other passengers, following up and confirming their pick-up locations. The bus started from its parking by now, and the live tracking links provided were helping me with the right information.
 |
| The bus: KA-51-AD-7557 |
The bus arrived at 2050hrs - picked me and got moving immediately. It seemed I was the only passenger boarding from there. The interiors awed me - it was simple, but seriously well finished. A light colour was used for the interiors - and that added to the elegance. Adequate space was provided below each berth to store small bags, and there were small boxes (cubicles, rather) that could be used to keep footwear. Berths had backrests, which made it really comfortable to sit. There were wiring for placing LED screens for each berth - the screens weren't installed yet.
The bus headed straight to Shantinagar from Kalasipalya - it made a few stops on the way to make up time (we had left Kalasipalya 10 minutes early, and traffic was unusually light). We got to Shantinagar by 2109hrs - had a long halt for the passenger to turn up. The bus finally started off at 2115hrs from Shantinagar. The bus headed straight towards Richmond road, turned to MG road and headed through Halasuru. We got to the Old Madras road, crawled through Baiyappanahalli (2145hrs), and finally made a stop outside Krishnarajapuram Railway station (2156hrs) - passengers boarded quickly and we got moving soon later. Interestingly, there were hardly about 5 passengers on board, and I really wondered why they had to take this long pick-up route!
 |
| The interiors.. |
We turned towards Outer Ring Road and headed towards Marathahalli. On the way, the bus stopped at Bagmane Tech Park (2200hrs). We stopped for pick-up near Marathahalli bus stop (2205hrs) - this was a longish halt. The bus almost filled up here, and we got moving by 2220hrs. The next halt was at Bellandur (2230hrs) and then at Silk Board (2240hrs). There was absolutely no traffic on outer ring road, and we managed to get from Bellandur to Silk Board in just 10 minutes! The wait at Silk Board was quick - we got moving by 2243hrs. The bus didn't take the elevated highway - it went through Bommanahalli, and stopped for a pick-up near the Shell fuel station (2248hrs). Traffic was quite light, and it helped us a lot. The next pick-up was at Electronic city toll gate (2302hrs).
I had completed my dinner by now, and was all set to sleep. We stopped at Bommasandra (2307hrs) for a pick-up, and continued towards Hosur. We had few more passengers joining at Hosur - we completed pick-ups from Hosur (2328hrs) and started off. I was expecting the bus to stop for a break (as claimed by redbus) a little after Hosur - but the bus skipped the restaurant and rushed towards Salem. The bus was stopped at Shoolagiri on the request of a lady passenger - the break was short, and we got moving by 0000hrs. I hit the bed now, and slowly drifted asleep. I was woken up by the lights turning on, and the attendant calling out a break - we were at tea shop (Aavin Paalakam) for a quick break (0042hrs). It was raining outside - but I badly wanted a break. We started off after the quick break, at 0052hrs.
I slept soon after the bus started after break. It was a nice long sleep - I must appreciate the driving style - it was really sleep friendly. I felt the berth to be a little narrower than the ones in Prakash or Damodar (the best I've experienced), but was long enough and comfortable. I slept quite deeply - I was woken up only as the lights were turned on, and the attendant was calling out some stop - the announcement was not loud though. I checked the map, and found we were already in Coimbatore! We had already reached Lakshmi mills (0459hrs), and had started towards Gandhipuram already. The bus got to Gandhipuram (Central bus station) by 0505hrs - a whole 25 minutes in advance!
 |
| After drop at Coimbatore... |
Remarks: The bus, KA-51-AD-7557, was in pristine shape. The interiors were in excellent shape - clean and well finished. The crew were great - they coordinated the pickup very efficiently, the driver drove really well and the attendant was friendly and supportive. Requests for breaks were handled properly - they stopped the bus for breaks twice, and both the situations did not hurry or get impatient. The bus maintained pace - but was not too fast. Even with low speeds, the run time from Silk Board to Coimbatore was only 6 hours and 22 minutes! Excellent run time, and great service from the crew. I am absolutely impressed with the service!
Amenities:
Blanket: Yes
Water: Yes
Snacks: No
Charging Point: Available, worked.
Entertainment: Not available.
Ratings:
Maintenance: 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Driving: 5/5
Crew behaviour: 5/5
Punctuality: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Pros: Great Service, Excellent crew.
Cons: Nothing really
Will I take this service again? Absolutely
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