So, As my exams ended, made a plan to do a round trip on KA42B 9, The First Round trip on the Scania!
We Left Anand Rao circle at around 08:50pm and I Occupied my last row seat, as the bus waded through the sucky bangalore traffic! The Bus stopped at Madiwala, where the MST Staff distributed Sweets as this was the first trip of the bus (reason for my travel as well!) The Bus quickly made way out of the city and hit the highway. The bus stopped for a quick 5 minutes bio break/ tea break/ or whatever you choose to call it, as the bus wouldnt stop enroute as this was a no dinner break service.
I Had a few snacks and after a few movies , i went to the cabin after 11:30! Sat for a while, and saw Mr.Sharma on the wheels. I had been with him on their old volvos, and was quite a fan of his driving. He kept the monster at sedate speeds of 85-90 km/hr and was driving the bus in the Manual Mode! Yes, Manual, you need real experience and guts to drive this on Manual mode. quick overtakes, smooth cruising and flawless gearshifts was a absolute delight! We stopped briefly in the journey, where the pairing of this bus (999) came and the crew had a quick chat. The drivers changed and i went back to my seat. The Bus crossed Renigunta at around 2 am and i decided to nap for a while!
Absolutely no jerks whatsoever,vibrations or any unsettling forces at the last row, i literally felt like sitting in the first row seats. The initial scanias that came, had a issue with a little gearbox/turbo noises creeping in, and this was rectified at their service schedules. This bus was just smooth, and had no noises or anything like that! Had observed that in other operator scanias and was happy to see that MST has paid attention to it! The seats were superb as well, had a good back support and to be frank, were the best seats that i came across! I Woke up around 7 am, only to see we were approaching Guntur, The Bus entered the city, dropped passengers and rushed off to Vijayawada. All passengers were dropped off at VJA at Sharp 8 am and we reached their parking at exact 08:50 am! The timing control was perfect, and well, no words about the driving.it was simply marvellous! The Bus averaged around 3.1kpl as it was the first trip of the bus.
Return Journey:
The Bus left the parking at around 08:15 pm and went to the city for its pickup! Left Vijayawada around 08:50pm, thanks to traffic, and made way towards Guntur! The Bus got filled up here and we quickly made way towards Bangalore. The bus had a new driver, and this fellow was one of those few, who are like "let`s get down to business!" kind of a person. The bus was kept in manual, and the guy was literally ripping all the way ! flashy and quick overtakes, no horn use, and the bus was equally sportive as well, responding with instant torque and agility!
The bus stopped for dinner and i literally had to squeeze in my dinner as the break was very very short. Quickly finished dinner, and got on to the bus. the TV was switched off at around 11:30 pm and i decided to sleep.
Somewhere around 1 am, i woke up and thought we are still on 4 lane highways, To my utter shock, we were going through a small highway,overtaking buses, trucks, cars, and no passenger or even me could tell it was like that! NO Jerks or upsetting forces whatsoever! NOTHING! NO JERKS AT ALL!!!!
If this was a Volvo, Passengers would have got up, given the driver a earful, and would have been travelling around 60 kph for sure!
The bus then again was going through a very very rough patch of roads with a lot of uneven surfaces, potholes and stuff, and was only noticed when i saw it out of the windows!,and were cruising at very good speeds instead!The bus is quite a performer, good torque, epic suspension and with the Interior quality and lighting, Yes, THIS FELT LIKE A AIRPLANE!
After this ride, i can officially and say it enough, Scania Rocks! Just cant get enough of the monster!
RIP Volvo :) You can now die in peace and in pieces.
We Were Dropped off at Lalbagh at Sharp 9:40am. Bidding adieu to the friendly and superb crew, i made my way towards my home, hoping to have more of Scania soon!
MST and Scania, You Rock!
