I have nothing to say - I didn't even look at options. I headed straight to the KSRTC website as the date of my journey was confirmed, booked a window seat on my favorite service - 2130PGTBNG. The KSRTC website allows payments using UPI, which is a very big convenience!
September 16, 2019:
It was one tempestuous day - we ended up missing our lunch that day, and had to do with whatever we could manage. The long day winded up with light dinner, and I got into an autorickshaw to get to the bus stop. I got a bus soon later, and got to Palakkad by around 2040hrs. I was at the KSRTC bus station by around 2050hrs - much earlier than the departure time of my bus. My first attempt was to search for my bus - I couldn't find any Airavat Club Class bus parked at the normal parking area - I was a little confused about this. I returned to the bus station, and found one Airavat Club Class Scania bus parked behind a few KSRTC buses. There were no specials from Palakkad on this day - so this had to be my bus.
I had tried tracking the bus operating my service the previous night, and had found a Volvo bus listed for the schedule. So where did that bus go? The same tracking link showed that bus returning to Bengaluru on the day of my journey - it reached back there by evening, as well. The bus at the Palakkad bus station seemed to be have been parked since some time - there was no crew around it either. Sometime past 2110hrs, a Karnataka SRTC staffer came, turned on the bus and shifted it to the usual departure bay. Soon later, I received an SMS with the details of the bus - the registration number mentioned was exactly the same on the bus.
Boarding commenced soon later, and the bus was filled in no time. Some passengers seemed confused since the digital display on the bus read 'Thrissur-Bengaluru', and passengers were on the lookout for a Palakkad - Bengaluru bus. Finally, the driver called up most of them and got them on board. I had a quick work with the driver, and found that he was the sole crew (there was no conductor that day), and the bus had a break down the previous night and was stuck there since. Boarding was completed soon - a couple of seats were sold to walk-in passengers as well. We started at 2138hrs - 8 minutes behind schedule.
The driver was slow from the word go - and lugged the bus quite often. The AC blower speed was set at the lowest setting - although it was getting cool, it was not quite comfortable. I slept soon later - after we passed over to Tamilnadu. The sleep was not continuous, but still good. I vaguely remember the bus stopped somewhere - not sure if it was break, or if the bus had stopped on somebody's request. I woke up only as the crew called out of passengers alighting at Electronic City - we stopped at the Toll gate, at 0409hrs - quickly dropped passengers and got moving by 0411hrs. We took the elevated highway, and got to Silk Board by 0422hrs. City roads were still deserted - we moved forward soon enough, getting to St. Johns by 0428, and Shantinagar bus station by 0436hrs. We finally got to Majestic by 0443hrs (57 minutes early!)
Remarks: The bus, KA-57-F-1713, was homed at Bengaluru-4. I couldn't check the odometer reading of the bus - since the driver had set it to the trip mode. The bus was in fairly good shape - this was an unexpected journey by a Scania. I find the rear suspension in KaSRTC's Scanias on the harder side. The driver was friendly and soft-spoken. I did not really like the way he drove - not that it was rash, but the lack of proper gearing meant a lot of vibrations. The drive was really sleep friendly, and I managed to sleep through this journey as well!
Amenities:
Blanket: Yes
Water: Yes
Snacks: No
Charging Point: Available, Did not use.
Entertainment: Available, Not used.
Ratings:
Maintenance: 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Driving: 4.5/5
Crew behaviour: 5/5
Punctuality: 5/5
Overall: 4.90/5
Pros: Great Service, Excellent crew.
Cons: Drivers are a little too unpredictable in their driving style
Will I take this service again? This question doesn't arise! It is the best option on the route!
September 16, 2019:
It was one tempestuous day - we ended up missing our lunch that day, and had to do with whatever we could manage. The long day winded up with light dinner, and I got into an autorickshaw to get to the bus stop. I got a bus soon later, and got to Palakkad by around 2040hrs. I was at the KSRTC bus station by around 2050hrs - much earlier than the departure time of my bus. My first attempt was to search for my bus - I couldn't find any Airavat Club Class bus parked at the normal parking area - I was a little confused about this. I returned to the bus station, and found one Airavat Club Class Scania bus parked behind a few KSRTC buses. There were no specials from Palakkad on this day - so this had to be my bus.
I had tried tracking the bus operating my service the previous night, and had found a Volvo bus listed for the schedule. So where did that bus go? The same tracking link showed that bus returning to Bengaluru on the day of my journey - it reached back there by evening, as well. The bus at the Palakkad bus station seemed to be have been parked since some time - there was no crew around it either. Sometime past 2110hrs, a Karnataka SRTC staffer came, turned on the bus and shifted it to the usual departure bay. Soon later, I received an SMS with the details of the bus - the registration number mentioned was exactly the same on the bus.
 |
| The bus: KA-57-F-1713 |
Boarding commenced soon later, and the bus was filled in no time. Some passengers seemed confused since the digital display on the bus read 'Thrissur-Bengaluru', and passengers were on the lookout for a Palakkad - Bengaluru bus. Finally, the driver called up most of them and got them on board. I had a quick work with the driver, and found that he was the sole crew (there was no conductor that day), and the bus had a break down the previous night and was stuck there since. Boarding was completed soon - a couple of seats were sold to walk-in passengers as well. We started at 2138hrs - 8 minutes behind schedule.
The driver was slow from the word go - and lugged the bus quite often. The AC blower speed was set at the lowest setting - although it was getting cool, it was not quite comfortable. I slept soon later - after we passed over to Tamilnadu. The sleep was not continuous, but still good. I vaguely remember the bus stopped somewhere - not sure if it was break, or if the bus had stopped on somebody's request. I woke up only as the crew called out of passengers alighting at Electronic City - we stopped at the Toll gate, at 0409hrs - quickly dropped passengers and got moving by 0411hrs. We took the elevated highway, and got to Silk Board by 0422hrs. City roads were still deserted - we moved forward soon enough, getting to St. Johns by 0428, and Shantinagar bus station by 0436hrs. We finally got to Majestic by 0443hrs (57 minutes early!)
Remarks: The bus, KA-57-F-1713, was homed at Bengaluru-4. I couldn't check the odometer reading of the bus - since the driver had set it to the trip mode. The bus was in fairly good shape - this was an unexpected journey by a Scania. I find the rear suspension in KaSRTC's Scanias on the harder side. The driver was friendly and soft-spoken. I did not really like the way he drove - not that it was rash, but the lack of proper gearing meant a lot of vibrations. The drive was really sleep friendly, and I managed to sleep through this journey as well!
Amenities:
Blanket: Yes
Water: Yes
Snacks: No
Charging Point: Available, Did not use.
Entertainment: Available, Not used.
Ratings:
Maintenance: 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Driving: 4.5/5
Crew behaviour: 5/5
Punctuality: 5/5
Overall: 4.90/5
Pros: Great Service, Excellent crew.
Cons: Drivers are a little too unpredictable in their driving style
Will I take this service again? This question doesn't arise! It is the best option on the route!
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