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de-cattle-class-ifying bus services
Written By murali772 - 11 November, 2011
Bangalore Bus Privatization Citizen Reports outsourcing Transportation public transport
Recently, I was required to make a few trips to Kochi. The options before me, and what each implied are listed below:
1) Driving down - The distance being in the range of 550 km, this option I find too tedious, unless with a break in journey. This means nearly two full days gone each way. Besides, at the current fuel prices, the fuel cost alone works out to Rs 3500/- odd each way. As such, I would consider this option only if on a holiday with family/ friends.
2) Train - Extremely difficult to get bookings on short notice, even through Tatkal. I get a feeling that the IRCTC site is not quite geared to take on the kind of load that comes on at 8 AM (for the Tatkal bookings), and getting connected itself is difficult.
3) Flight - extremely expensive on short notice, particularly with the likes of KingFisher and Air-India playing truant. Besides, it takes (3 + 1 + 1.5) hrs each way, mostly of your day time.
4) Bus - This is the option I am increasingly taking now.
Operators like Kallada, Sharma, Shama, etc run regular multi-axle VOLVO A/C bus services, departing from Madiwala at around 9.30 PM and gliding into Kochi by around 6.30 AM, ie in just 9 hrs (atleast 2 hours lesser than the fastest train takes), though the charge at around Rs 900/- per seat works out to almost twice the AC sleeper class fare. During season, they add on more buses, diverting them from other destinations, that way making seats available even on short notice, of course at a slightly higher fare. And, the booking through the REDBUS portal is generally a 5 minute job on the net. The seats are as good as in the best of aircrafts, and VOLVO being VOLVO, the 9 hour journey is just a breeze, even on the normally pot-holed stretches of Kerala roads.
There is one major catch, though - very few of them have proper tie ups for clean toileting arrangements for the passengers, mid-way, at the beginning, or at the end. Having to step out of world class VOLVO buses, and piddle on the road-sides, is not exactly the pleasantest of experiences for the generally well-heeled passengers. And, as far as women are concerned, they stop fluids intake from some 24 hrs before a bus journey, so as to manage it all without a loo break. This, if you ask me, is the one major reason that earns bus services the cattle-class label, than anything else.
In this regard, the Vytilla Mobility Hub (in Kochi) offered a most pleasant surprise. As you will notice, in the pictures below, the toilet facilities are as good as, say at BIAL in Bangalore. The maintenance of the entire hub is outsourced to a private contractor, and, like at the BIAL, you can see workers sweeping and mopping the floors regularly. Apparently, the approach is that if you treat bus passengers as human beings, they will behave like human beings, rising above the cattle-class that they have been relegated to all along. One only hopes that this lasts well beyond the 3 months that the hub has been in operation now.
In contrast are the comparatively poorer facilities at the Jayanagar TTMC - check this.
Going back to the inter-city bus services - the buses invariably have to make a stop midway for refuelling. Now, if the operators can team up with the fuelling stations to provide proper toilet facilities for the passengers, that should take care of the problem, largely. There is no reason why the operators can't do it, except perhaps on account of the operations themselves not being totally legal, in the first place, thanks to the governments' license-permit raaj and the uncertainties thereof - check this.
Very clearly, every where, the government is the biggest pain in the backside. Neither will they do a proper job; nor will they allow the others to do it.
Muralidhar Rao
COMMENTS
Privatization of profits and socialization of losses
psaram42 - 12 November, 2011 - 07:47
I heard the above comment on a TV programme. Kingfisher airlines Vijay Mallya Sahib wants government to bale him out. I heard that his Liquor business also may be in trouble?
murali772 - 12 November, 2011 - 07:59
@ Ananthram - Nobody is supporting any bail out of Kingfisher, if that's the point you are trying to make. But, while doing so, would you also simultaneously like to demand a stop to the enormous quantum of tax payers' money that has been and continues to be pumped into AIR-INDIA, for no earthy reason, whatsoever.
And, the public/ private sector debate is there elsewhere on PRAJA. Please take it there if you must. I will be happy to take you on.
proof of the pudding is in eating
psaram42 - 12 November, 2011 - 09:49
My point was just the comment on TV I happened to hear. I liked that comment:- "Privatization of profit and socialization of losses" instantly! Air India I think comes under 'socialization of losses' category.
Murali sir what is the idea of this present blog of yours? Vytilla Mobility hub which you have highlighted is no doubt out of the world. There cannot be a second thought, especially when you say so.
The point what I share with you is we the consumers would like to have the best of what our affordable money can get, be it private or public service provider. But I do believe that "proof of the pudding is in eating".
Air India being propped up at public cost is unacceptable. Only political will of the people can punish such spending. I am for better service whoever gives it at my affordable cost. I don’t envy or want to have any thing, I cannot afford.
Ego can be very heavy whose weight is zero. Rest is only innocent fun.
rs - 14 November, 2011 - 16:16
AIR India has been hemorraging money for the last several years now. All govt employees - such as myself - are forced to fly AI for any official trip - which is a massive inconvenience. The last time I travelled to Europe for a conference since I had to travel AI it was going to take me 18 hours and cost me 1.5 times the cheapest airline to travel. In the last minute they changed the flight timings forcing me to buy a new ticket on another airline with permission from the MEA which in fact ended in me travelling 24 hours for what is ordinarilly an 8 hour journey. And I am not an isolated case - pretty much all of my colleagues have suffered thanks to this. So in my opinion AI should be allow to die a peaceful death.
The same applies to Kingfisher - I dont see at all why the govt has to bail them out. Mallya has enough money anyway - he could simply sell a yacht to keep KF afloat. Its bad market strategy on their part.
In any case yesterday I travelled a long distance - from Goa to Bangalore - by KSRTC. While the journey was okay - there were several issues with the service. One - the interim bus stand is not clear - I caught the bus at Margao - but there was no sign to indicate that this was the KSRTC bus stop - its only by asking the Vada-Pao stand chap did I find out where the bus stop was. While this might always be an option, this is not very professional.
As the bus was full, I had the last seat - which is not the most pleasant. But soon after the bus started, the other people in the same row moved in front and I had the entire row to myself. But just as I had settled in to a comfortable sleep the conductor woke me up and asked me to move in front - moving me to the first row - saying that the driver had to sleep. This does not seem right - to inconvenience the passengers for the sake of a driver - they should not strain the drivers to such an extent. I was placed in the front row facing the glare of the oncoming traffic - which was not very pleasant and I was left with a bad feeling about the whole journey. While the bus was very nice - the handling of passengers could be better. I also think these buses take an inordinate amout of time - 12 hours to travel 550 km - most of it on the divided NH-4.
While KSRTC has greatly improved over the last several years - there is a lot of improvement that can be made. The toilet facilities at the Hirehalli bus stand - which were okay a few years ago - have worsened thanks to lack of maintainance.
I think the main difference between Kerala and Karnataka is the literate population in Kerala. They have a sense of hygene and perhaps the caste system is not as deeply entrenched, so people have no issues about cleaning toilets. I think the fundamental problem in Karnataka is the appaling lack of literacy. This is the basic issue that needs to be tackled - the rest will take care of themseleves.
Ramesh
rackstar - 16 November, 2011 - 05:45
Many private buses i know stop at good hotels during night which have multiple toilets. It is good for hotel guys and bus people both. So it should not be a problem if they plan it well.
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