I have been travelling on the route Goa - Bangalore for last few months and I was preferring Volvo by KSRTC for the comfort which the Volvo provides. The service offered by KSRTC on this route i.e. Panaji - Bangalore has been very very poor. You start loosing the money right from the time you go to KSRTC counter situated in Kadamba Bus Terminus in Panaji to book the ticket. The KSRTC’s person at this counter gives you a warm welcome and once you tell him that you want Volvo to Bangalore, he says Volvo booking cannot be done at this counter as this contract is given to entirely to private agents. Can you believe that KSRTC will ever do this! But you have no option and he too is ready to accompany you to the private agent’s office which have mushroomed outside Kadamba Bus Terminus. He takes you to one of them and there you are charged more anything between Rs. 10/ - to Rs. 50/- depending on the season. So you actually end of paying more for the ticket which is nothing but the commision of the KSRTC employee who accompanies you to agents office.
Earlier this bus would leave Panaji and would reach directly to Margao at around 7.30pm, but since the bridge on the way to margao is unusable now, they have diverted the buses via Ponda. So this Volvo bus reaches Margao anytime after 8.15pm and most of the times very much late. The last time I came, it reached Margao at 10.05pm. But they ask you to report at 7.30pm to one travel agent’s office and you are at his at his mercy. Though he is polite person, once he closes the shop around 8.00pm, you are on the road. When there is big KTC bus stand in Margao, I dont understand the logic of asking people to board at private agent’s office.
The bus starts late from Goa and so reaches late to Bangalore so whoever wants to go for work, forget this bus.
For both, dinner and breakfast these buses wait at Kamat Upachar near Udupi and then near Tumkur where daylight robbery is happening for few months. This hotel has nothing less than 10/- available for people who are from KSRTC Volvo. Just for a cup of Tea which could be max Rs. 5/- elsewhere, he charges Rs. 10/-. I am just talking about Tea / Coffee. For items like Roti, some subji, idli wada, you end of paying much much more. Just a coffee, one vada is around Rs. 25/-. The dinner of one Roti and one subji hovers between Rs. 60 - Rs. 80/-. While driver and Conductor of this are eating left n right freely inside in specially made cabins for them, you are getting robbed of your hard earned money.
In the end, you have lost extra money at the
Ticket counter in Panaji,
For dinner at Kamat Upachar near Udupi.
3. For breakfast at Kamat Upchar near Tumkur
4. Finally in Majestic, if you happen to fall in the trap of Auto with tampered metres.
- Finally, you loose leave also for one day at office since this bus reaches too late.
Work out the total cost of your ticket.
So please think twice before you take KSRTC Volvo from Goa to Bangalore.
As far as service is concerned, I guess Goa State owned Kadamba bus is relatively good service. They dont have the quality of Volvo but definitely it is a peaceful journey. They dont halt at Kamat Upchar for breakfast n dinner. I agree that the hotels where they halt at charge more than normal but it is not as exhorbitant as in Kamat Upchar is. Another important factor is, these buses dont take any stop on the way like Hubli, Haveri, Davangere etc. Once they start after dinner, next stop is only for breakfast early morning. So you can be assured of getting some sleep.