I had very bad experience while traveling from Shivshahi from Malvan to Pune.
1) Driver feels that, they are alone in bus and he use to drive upto 80 km in ghat section, on every turn all the passengers were tilting towards the opposite direction and fear to fell down from seat and the bags or luggage’s in overhead compartment use to fall.
2) It was a night journey, so driver must take a turn very slowly so people will not get disturb from the sleep. They are truck drivers or Lal dubba drivers. They should aware that, they are driving luxury bus and not truck.
3) Though it is AC bus, the cabin door got shut at 11 pm in the night. So from start time 4pm to 11 pm the engine sound was there in whole bus which was irritating.
4) Conductor and driver use to stop each and every public stop to get the passenger.
5) In Phonda stand, they had almost allowed 20-30 peoples in the bus, as their bus got cancelled. The people seated in carriage way and even tried to sit on arm rest as bus driver was in a hurry to drop them in between Dajipur and Kolhapur(BUS goes via Phonda Ghat and not via Gagan bawda)
6)Conductor were charging them AC bus charges and those poor travelers were seating on floor in the bus. is this correct?
7) Shivshai buses built on Tata truck chassis and suspension is horrible. The GOOD POINT IS " AC was chilled through out the journey, but when bus halted from dinner, they switched off the AC. The old age or ladies who dont want to go for dinner has to sit in hot air truck.
8)I got to know that, this are on contract buses, so conductor is from MSRTC and Driver is from bus provider. To show the profitability of the route, they allowed all short distance passengers, also driver got changed before kolhapur in between village. I think, if this route get cancelled, this drivers will also leave the job and join the private tourist operators, who all are running buses on this route for their convenience of changing shift in there own village.
9)OR I think, the private operators only provided the buses, becoz they cant pickup up short distance passengers in there private luxury buses and hence earning profit on basis of ticketing in shivshahi buses.
Suggestions:
1) Provide training to drivers on how to drive luxury buses. (Turns and bumps should be carefully and slowly negotiated mainly)
2) passenger should be allowed if there is seating space in bus. No halting at Public stops, if bus is already packed.
3) RTO Permit is for 42+1+1 passengers, those many people should only travel at any time. 1 or 2 addition has to be an exceptions.
4) Shivshahi buses are not for competition for speed with Volvo/Merc buses. So, speed should be maintained.
5) Pickup should be from Depo only.
6) Pl close the Cabin door to suppress engine noise.
7) Do not allow staff in this buses without ticket or else you will cut your own legs, when this shivshahi buses goes into losses.
8) Pl remove pressure Horns’ from this buses. It is really nuisance at night.
Message: Let the common man also travel in luxury buses but with care and superior hospitality in reasonable fare.
Bye for now.