Vastavika Volvo MultiAxle, MH09CV 0870, Mumbai Bangalore Ride!

Vastavika has a Bangalore-Mumbai-Bangalore Service on India`s First Facelifted 9400XL and it has quite good feedback from pax on this sector. Sikandar Bhai and Kshirsagar were on this and i was keen to try this service owing to their presence on this bus. This bus, was with Konduskar on lease earlier and had done same route earlier as well.

So, i was at mumbai and was scouting for return journey options, Rahul and me got into option search mode and it suddenly flashed that 0870 was going to do the trip. Wasting no time, decided to take a ride after weeks of 0870 going out of target!

The bus departed Borivali Gokul Hotel at exactly 05:30pm  and proceeded to exit the city. Reached Kamothe at 8 pm and had to wait for 15-20 min for a pax. Sikandar bhai was on wheel and wasted no time in covering up the delay. He was ripping along the Expressway, touching 102 kph marks with ease and taking down National, Sharma and other guys who overtook us as we waited at Kamothe.

Sikandar bhai has quite impressive skills and his manuvers were quite classy. Added to that was the Manual Gearing... which made this a quite a memorable ride and one to cherish for long time to come.

We Exited Expressway around 9:35pm and proceeded to pickup passengers from Pune. This was a bit irritating as the bus entered the city and exited towards katraj ghat, instead of picking up from the highway side to the city exit at katraj. Only if Vastavika could arrange a pickup van and load pax directly to the bus at, say, Katraj, it`ll really help a long  way and improve the timing of the bus to Bangalore.

All said and done, we took the exit and stopped at Neelkamal where we had a couple of SRS Buses proceeding to Bangalore and A National Scania Sleeper, Lamhe to Bangalore. Quickly finished dinner, and Mr Kshirsagar took over the controls from here.

Kshirsagar bhai has really neat control over the beast, and i couldnt but help staying up in the cabin to watch him drive. Neat, Smooth Glider that he is, he was keeping the bus with constant speeds and made sure no jerks/sudden braking was brought in and made sure pax slept peacefully.

We reached Kolhapur at 2:35 am and Entered Konduskar`s Petrol  Pump outside the city and filled up. the beast averaged an exact 2.85kpl to a litre, which is an impressive figure considering the constant high speeds by the crew. Hats off. We again resumed our journey at 3 am.

I decided to catch a few winks and left the cabin. Woke up in the morning directly at Ranibennur at 7 am and had a nice breakfast. We Left at 7:30am and again resumed our journey to bangalore. Kshirsagar bhai was again at the wheel and was keeping good speeds.

I was finally dropped off at Yeshwantpur at 11:25 am. I Must say, it was an really good journey on this sector i`ve had in a long time. Hats off to Sikandar and Kshirsagar bhai for the superb  driving and perfect timing control. Guys, Please do try this service, and you shall not be disappointed.

Wishing Vastavika Travels a great deal of success and we wish to see them expand soon! 

Morning Star Scania, KA53C9, Bangalore-Vijayawada, With the rockstar Vijay !

Me and Rahul had plans for a Vijayawada trip from almost a year but small obstacles here and there always made us push the plan further and further. But, Finally this time, we planned for it and thankfully, everything just fell in their places perfectly.

So, We knew that we were supposed to get KA53C 9 to Vijayawada. But what excited us was the fact that we were going to have Mr.Vijay with us on the ride this time! His skills are amazing, and i have missed going with him plenty of times. Thankfully, he was on duty this time, and his partner was Mr Srinivas, whose induction to MST Scania was on KA42B 9, in May last year! He was super sedate that time as it was the first ride and trip of KA42B 9 and he was just shifted to Scania,so it was his first duty on a Scania that time. I Was eager to watch him drive, as i wanted to know how well he had taken to the Griffin.

So, we walked to our boarding point at Anand Rao Circle and boarded the bus, and i greeted Mr.Vijay, who was equally happy to see me. Exchanged Pleasantaries, took our seats, the usual wrapped blankets and water bottles were already kept, perfect as usual, and left for the next point at 8:05pm. Slowly waded through the chaotic bangalore traffic and Stopped at Marathalli for almost 15-20 minutes, where KA42B 9 went towards Anand Rao circle for its pickup to Hyderabad.

Quickly left the city with a slight drizzle and Stopped near hoskote for a bio-break. Mr Srinivas then took over from here,put the bus into Manual Shift mode, and he was super smooth, yet fast. Quickly finished the 4 lane section after Mulbagal and we entered the 2 lane section. I Quickly went to the cabin and decided to watch the drive. Quick, Smoooth overtakes of KSRTC, APSRTC,SVKDT,Sri Krishna and all happened before Chittor and it was just too good to see them performed by Mr Srinivas with such ease and confidence. He had really taken well  to the griffin and was loving it. We Stopped for a quick bio break at Chittor and got struck at a railway crossing a bit ahead. A few Volvos that we overtook, took on the wrong side and went ahead of us as we were waiting for the crossing to open. Our Coach Captain saw this, and took them all aside a few minutes later! Never mess with the boss!

I was in the cabin till 2:20 am and decided to catch a few winks to see Mr Vijay take over duty at 4:30 am. We stopped for a small break again at 4:40 ish and Vijay, the rockstar took over the wheels, ripping away the instant he sat! Amazing pickup and control. I again went to the cabin at 5:15 am and was watching him glide over the roads with his amazing skills and the griffin, too, had his back and was impressive as usual. No Jerks, Perfect stability and powerful!

Had a quick tea break at around 6:30am, Where finally, Rahul came to the cabin! He was enjoying the ride as well. Stopped at Guntur, dropped passengers, departed and again we were zooming towards Vijayawada. Entered Vijayawada and finished dropping at 8:15am, and went towards the parking and had sizzling shots of the beauty! 4lakh km on the odo but still fresh and super smooth!

Epic ride. Vijayawada-Bangalore Sector has a leader and its Morning Star! Maintaining such high standards from the past few years is no joke, and MST is doing it beautifully! Hats off! and Hope to see higher standards from MST in the days to come.

My First Ever Volvo B11R Ride- VRL 9400PX, KA25AA 4968, Mumbai-Bangalore!

VRL recently expanded their fleet after a very very long time, and as usual, they gave a bomb this time too! 11 B11R`s in an Order of 51 Buses from Volvo!
I had never travelled in a B11R yet, and was quite excited to make use of this chance, as VRL is a true professional in every sense- right from crew,fleet management to the operations! and, being  a perfectionist VRL is, expected a rocking ride this time too.

I was aboard SRS Scania 14.5m from Ahmedabad(Jodhpur Bangalore Service) and decided to switch buses at Mumbai and take the VRL 11R. My boarding point was at 6:55pm from Kharghar, and was supposed to be dropped there by 5-5:30pm!
 Ahmedabad-Mumbai sector is such a headache during the day- got traffic jams at Barauch and Near Karjan Toll Plaza, both clocking a hour of standstill each,giving my first 11R ride a close miss!
Thankfully, I was dropped off at Kharghar at 6:50pm! (phew!)

I had got a text saying KA25AA 4968 was going to be my ride home!(I was over the moon at the text, as this bus was my favorite for a reasons best known to me :P ) I knew the crew very well so called up Mr Gopal and asked him where he was, and thankfully the bus was close to 40 minutes late. Made use of the chance and did a bit of bus fanning with my friend Shubham there.

The Bus finally pulled up and the crew flashed lights at me heralding the beast`s arrival. To my surprise, the helper and the Second driver was also known to me. Exchanged Pleasantaries, said goodbye to Shubham and waded to my seat.

The Interior was typical Volvo, but had blue night lamps, (hey, not from the competition!). The panels had nice cladding and were covered nicely. Seat was comfy as usual, and the recline was as same as HS-Dx seats in Scania.

As we finished the pickups, i went to the cabin and decided to see Mr Gopalkrishna in action.
Gopalkrishna was just amazing, as he powered through the curves, ripped through the empty sections and maneuvered like a boss. His Skillset was just mind blowing! He was literally flying through the expressway and we covered the expressway, and halted for dinner near Wakad (Pune) at 8:28pm! Yes, 1 Freaking hour from Kharghar to Wakad! Gopalkrishna, You have found yourself a fan for life.

We had a delayed departure from Pune by 20 minutes and we left Katraj at 10:50pm. Again, i was in the cabin (as usual) and watched Gopalkrishna`s amazing skills. We had rains cutting our speeds from Khed Shivpur, but Gopal would not have any of it. He had complete command over the beast, and kept constant speeds and with such amazing stability, he deserves a medal for that. I was a bit tired and bid adieu to Gopal and went to sleep.

The Facelifted buses are very light and a compromise in building standard shows all over the place. the windows had constant but slight rattling from the cladding on the pillars,et al. Managed to sleep and woke up exactly at VRL Chitradurga Checkpoint in the Morning. The bus was on time even with the rains and crew change.

The beast refuelled here, averaging 2.3 kpl and the the bus soon departed after a breakfast at the Checkpoint. Mr Jairam was on the steering , and was sedately taking us to Bangalore. The bus dropped me off at Yeshwantpur at 10:50am, exactly 12 hours from Pune.

Hats off to you, Gopalkrishna! 4968 You rock! Will definitely take a ride again.

Morning Star Scania Round Trip! (Hyderabad-Bangalore-Hyderabad-Bangalore) On KA42B 9 and 999!

So it was after a very long time that i got a chance to do a trip  trips on MST. Had to go to Hyderabad for a work, so without sitting and searching for options, decided to go on MST. Why Bother looking for options when there is the best! 


Trip 1: Hyderabad to Bangalore, KA42B 9
So, after a hot,long day at Hyderabad and two days of traveling,it was time for a Scania ride. I had booked a second row seat as both the windows in the first row was booked. I walked to my pick up point almost 70 minutes well in advance and waited eagerly for my bus. In the meanwhile, i had already got a text from MST Saying 42B 9 Would be the ride for the night. ''3rd Ride on 42B 9, And missed B999 again'' was the thought that crossed my mind when i finished reading the message. 
A nice feature on MST was the Goodbox GPS Tracking Feature.
You needed to install the goodbox app, and you could track your bus. Plus, you can book tickets on MST directly through the app as well. A Very nice and a thoughtful addition! Innovations and Customer service are always top notch in MST. No Wonder they are the favorite on their operating sectors. 
The scheduled pick up time was 10:45pm, and as i waited for my bus,MST`s Hyd Chennai and Hyd Bangalore Damodar built Leyland  AC Sleeper picked up passengers and went. Faboulous looking buses they were! 
The time was 10:45pm, and i received a text from goodbox saying my bus had left Punjagutta and would arrive soon. Another thoughtful touch. Kudos! I don`t seem to recollect such passenger friendly touches in a long time. The Bus finally arrived at 10:52pm and i quickly rushed to my seat! 
The blanket was clean,perfumed and packed and placed on my seat. a water bottle was kept as well.The bus left Lakdi ka pul at 11:05pm and exited the city in around 20-25 minutes. 
We quickly hit the highway, and the driver kept a sedate 90-95 kph till the dinner halt somewhere on the highway. A quick 20 minute halt and we were again on the highway.
Driving was impressive as usual, and the km per minute coverage was excellent.we seemed to overtake a lot of early scheduled buses towards bangalore with ease and were rushing towards bangalore.The bus had ex-Scania Company driver, Mr. Ravi, who was ripping all the way! Have to sit with him in the cabin next time!

I was finally dropped off at Anand Rao circle at exact 7:05 am. On time! 
The Bus Averaged a cool 3.52 kpl! 

Trip 2: Bangalore to Hyderabad, KA42B 9

I had again booked MST  again for my ride to Hyderabad. Again, the ride was on KA42B 9. 4th Ride on the same guy! 
The pickup was scheduled at 10:30pm at Anand rao circle and i waited for the ride! The bus came in slightly late at around 10:50-ish and departed for Hebbal. Quickly picked up pax and started ripping.
The usual MST flavors were all present- Goodbox tracking, a clean blanket wrapped in a cover and placed on my seat, water bottle already placed! 
All set, i enjoyed the ride on first row window, with the crisp overtakes and smooth driving by Mr Ramakrishna. We stopped for a tea break near Gooty, where the driver change took place and  Mr Ravi quickly made his way towards Hyderabad. I decided to nod off for a while, and the comfortable seats, ambient air conditioning and Scania`s Magical suspension took the credits for putting me off to sleep. 
And yes, one point i would like to add is that charging points were ON all through the night. Brownie points to MST! 
We Entered the city at around 6:30am and i got down at my drop off at Ameerpet. This ride was easily the most comfortable and sort of the easiest i`ve had in a long time!
 No rushing, no traffic, just neat and good speeds with  perfect time sense! 
The Griffin was frugal as well! 3.73 Kpl ! _/\_

KA42B 9, HDR Try!

Trip 3: Hyderabad to Bangalore, KA42B 999

Finally, after almost ten months (missed the first day first ride)  and 4 misses later, i finally got a chance to get a ride on the 999! This is a fab looking Scania with a simple paint scheme but definitely will leave a mark on hearts alike. The color is elegant for sure, and looks different every time i capture it. Yes, It is undoubtedly Unique.
This ride was totally unexpected, and was a result of change of plans at the last moment. 
I was all excited and rushed to my boarding point almost 2 hours before the pickup time! Goodbox GPS tracking further added to my excitement- i ended up tracking this every 2 minutes! And as the time ticked closer, i went and had a hot cup of tea so that there is no need for sleep at all. 
The bus was on time, I waded through the seats to access my 12A, Last but one row Window seat and made myself comfortable. Thankfully, there was no co-passenger this time so yes, it was definitely the best ride i had in a long time. 
Yes, My Blanket was neatly packed and kept on my seat and the water bottle was there too!
We Exited the city at around 11:40pm, where we overtook Aditya,KGN,Lemon,Kaleswari(Ex KPN Silver Multi Axle), TSRTC Volvos and stopped for a quick dinner break.
The driver (forgot the name) looked experienced and was handling the griffin with ease. 95kph constant, and had on average covered 11km in 7 minutes whenever i had the GPS On. After a while, Mr Srinivas took to the wheel and started ripping.Constant 95 kph was kept, and the kept on frequently touching  105kph! Lovely control and of course, the driver friendly characteristics of the griffin must be credited as well.
I decided to catch a few winks at around 2:30am and woke up only when we started dropping at Hebbal. No Vibrations, Jerks,Noises, blah blah. It was a cool,comfortable and definitely the best ride quality you can get. Competition is no where close to what Scania Offers. Hail the griffin.

As the reputation goes, MST was again, Punctual and on-time. Again Dropped off at 7:05am at ARC.

Hats off, MST! Take a bow. You deserve the accolades and the bouquets!  
Now, for the final take. MST, Yay or Nay? Of Course, Yay Anyday!

National Lamhe: The 13.7m Scania Metrolink Sizzler!

For me, Lamhe was the best ever Scania sleeper from the National Fleet. Elegancy enuses, when Lamhe Breezes past! Day or Night, a Glimpse of this has the ability to make your day!
A Mumbai trip ensured that I may end up on this. I was initially was expecting Paakezaha,one of their first batch of 13.7m Scanias.

And I Was Waiting for It, on time.
I had reached my boarding point a hour before my actual time and was expecting Pakezaha, when i recieved a message from NT Saying that my bus number was 8049. A Quick recap and i was overjoyed to know that it was Lamhe,NT`s Latest pair of Scania Sleepers.

I had my luggage loaded in the cargo hold and went straight to my berth and made myself comfortable, Wide, Spacious,Well lit and equipped with a charging point, Night lamp and a TV and had the Blanket, Curtains and berth neatly kept.

The bus was actually 10 minutes before time and departed right at 6pm.
Wading slowly through chaotic Mumbai traffic, we proceeded towards exiting the city. But Since it was a weekend, I Expected a clear exit from the city,But....

As we were crossing the Vashi Bridge, both the sides were jammed right from the bridge limits. We almost lost a good 60-70 minutes, crawling all the way till the Toll Plaza. The Crew had a tough time squeezing out of the city. As soon as we got on the expressway, the driver started to keep a constant 95 kph.

Just as i thought that i was going to have a trouble free ride from here, we started facing crazy truck traffic around Lonavala. Zig zag-ing and crazy overtakes were not effective as the good for nothing truckers were crawling through all the lanes, some of them racing, as if they were doing 100 kph, when they were not even doing 20kph. The truckers are a menace for the general public, blocking all the lanes, not following lane disipline ,ensuring long lines and wasting time, fuel and money as they crawl slowly, letting their engines whine and the stupid drivers use phones or do irrelavant stuff on the highways.

We slowly approached the First toll on the EWay, and the traffic was pretty clear from here. The crew made the most of it and reached Pune in no time. Reached Katraj and spent 10-15 minutes where the pax from Pune boarded Lamhe.Quickly exited the city and we were approaching our delayed dinner break.

We Finally reached Hotel Neelkamal, Where we had a SRS B11R, a B9R Sleeper, a Ashley crowd going to goa (Naik, etc etc), and Paulo MAN Airobus also on its way towards Goa. The dinner break was thankfully long, and we left from here at 11:50 pm, and stopped a little ahead for a fuel break, as time ticked away, i made the most of this and had a jolly good snapping session with the Pretty Woman!

Lamhe, KA51C 8049

I asked the crew if i could sit in the cabin till  Khambatki ghat came, and got a positive response for it. All contented, i stirred up a chat with the driver, who was one of the very first drivers to be trained for the Volvo B11R. He was quite new with the machine, so he was quite reserved when queried for the performance. But he added that this was the best when it comes to fuel efficiency and Passenger comfort, and he would like to remain with Scania.

LED`s add a classy look to it! 

We soon approached the Khambatki ghat. The driver decided to take it on on Manual Mode itself, and was maneuvering the vehicle quite well. Suddenly after a curve, he decided to switch to Automatic, much to my delight, as the Griffin was growling in all its might and was a super delight to hear and experience the 360hp Machine. I felt that the 360 is a better accelerator and was quite a punchy machine!

Solid Back

Again contented and happy, i made my way to my berth and decided to experience the suspension and engine noises. Oh boy, it was certainly a delight to experience the 13.7m Monster, as it too, like its bigger brother took in bad patches and uneven surfaces quite well, almost killing all disturbances and ensuring a zero noise/jerk Journey to the passengers. NVH Levels were quite acceptable, as it was finished by Prakash (as this was sleeper built by SMK Prakash, Peenya) and had no heat levels at all (I was on the last berth). Scania Simply proves that they mean business, and have ensured Quality and the best travelling experience while ensuring safety and reliability.


Scania has also made sure to strike the right chords with their Customers, as their machines have ZERO Maintenance Issues, High Fuel Efficiency  (Consistent Deliverance on National`s Fleet), and Zero compromise Quality on the Griffins. This in turn has made Scania the new hearthrob for passengers whose choice is an Safe,Comfortable,No Jerk, Contented Journey to their Destinations.

As the bus carried us towards Bangalore, i decided to catch a few winks and slept all the way till the breakfast stop in the morning at Hiriyur. Again, we had a long breakfast break and departed for Bangalore.

We reached Yeshwantpur at exactly 11:15 am, Bidding adieu to the crew and the Pretty Woman, I Hoped to have another ride with her again!