Finding Comfort on “Luxury” Coaches
It is estimated that over 60,000 vehicles commute between Pune and Mumbai every day. Among these, passenger buses amount to over a thousand that shuttle 40 times as many passengers between the neighbouring cities. Over the years, the number of people travelling between Pune and Mumbai has also increased to such an extent that most private buses, scheduled to run every 30 minutes, are packed to capacity. In other words, the private transport companies have realised that the demand for these buses is only going to rise. What does that mean for the average commuter? Well he has a much better chance of spotting a UFO than experiencing a comfortable and quick ride on these buses.
I actually consider myself fortunate to drive around in the eventful traffic conditions of Pune after listening to the ridiculous things my wife has to endure on her weekly visits to Mumbai. This is what her weekly trip looks like. On a Monday morning, she finally gets onboard a private bus scheduled to leave at 8:00AM, at 8:45AM. Only after she boards the bus, she realises that it is half empty which means she can see the first quarter of another movie on her laptop while the bus waits for thirty minutes at the Wakad flyover near Pune. The next stop is at a food mall on the expressway, which on most occasions is so dirty that few passengers gather the courage to get out of the vehicle.
My wife has been commuting on the Pune-Mumbai expressway for enough time to religiously carry a sweatshirt with her because the bus drivers ensure you get full value for the money you paid for that air conditioner facility. Carrying an umbrella is also recommended for when the A/c starts leaking or the monsoon rains seep through the ceiling of the bus. So, after braving the cold and wet conditions, my wife then prepares herself for the next assault- the horrendous movie she is going to be forced to see. She usually carries her headphones and tries to watch a movie on her laptop. Unfortunately, on most occasions, the Dolby inspired speakers in the bus supersede the capabilities of her headphones.
To distract herself from the torturous screening, she often prays to God to help her reach Mumbai in the same bus she has boarded. Given the terrible condition of these over abused buses, break downs are common and the availability of backup vehicles is purely fate ridden. By the time the bus reaches the outskirts of Belapur, my wife is ready with her trousers pulled up and her bag tightly fastened to her hand to jump off the slowing bus at the stop where she has to get down. The bus drivers believe that by not pulling over they can make up for the precious time they have lost at their long stopovers. Thankfully, my wife has a habit of falling when climbing up and not down the stairs. So she jumps off the stairs of the moving bus successfully and starts her short walk to the office. She tries to calm herself by counting to ten and forgetting that she paid 300 bucks for the bus ticket, which she eventually never got from the conductor, and of course trying really hard to not think about making the same journey back home in a few hours.
More articles by Sagar Sheldekar
- Restaurant review- Asian Melange - January 8th, 2010
- New Year Blues - December 19th, 2009
- “The Great Helmet Debate”- A No Brainer - December 12th, 2009
- Malshej Waterfall 1200' Rappelling Camp (October 39th Week 2009) - October 15th, 2009
- MindSpark - CoEP's Tech-Fest (October 38th Week 2009) - October 8th, 2009
I cannot stress enough on the huge mistake it is to travel by “private” (read Neeta Volvo) buses.
I did once – and have taken a blood oath to never travel by them again.
The buses are horrendous to say the least and if you plan to reach somewhere on time, you need to board the bus *atleast* seven hours before your scheduled appointment.
However, there are a lot of other options that I could advise – though I am sure you have considered most of them already.
1. Trains.
Deccan Queen – the AC Chair car costs around 250 bucks and leaves at around 7:15 / 7:30 I think. There are a couple of trains leaving around the same time. (Pragati, etc)
Nothing beats traveling by train. Trust me. Nothing
2. Buses.
MSRTC buses leave every 15 minutes and the AC ones leave every 30 minutes.
You can also pre-book your ticket to assure that you get to sit on the bus at your convenient trip. These are pretty excellent and very, very punctual. Ticket costs almost the same – if not cheaper than the Neeta Volvo ones.
3. Raj National Express.
If you have to travel by private buses, go by Raj.
They have a lot fewer buses running nowadays, but they are as efficient as the MSRTC ones. Plus they have a pick up at Aundh as well. Whats more, you can book your tickets online.
I have traveled a couple of times on these and the trips have always been awesome and pleasant.
I love this article! I had some good laughs reading this. Here’s a tip that might help with the “headphones” sound quality so she can watch her movie. This works for me when I’m trying to watch a movie on an airplane using those terrible “earbuds” that don’t block out the loud crying babies or engine noises. I put in foam earplugs and then I use my earbuds or headphones. This completely blocks out any noise and all I hear is the movie!
Unfortunately Jill works in Belapur, so the trains aren’t a very good option because you can only get down at Dadar or CST. MSRTC are indeed the best bet because of their frequency and punctuality. I haven’t yet tried Raj. Will ask Jill to try it out next time round.
And Gilda thanks for the helpful headphone tip
Will surely pass it on to my wife.