GarudaPlus. BIGGER !

After upgrading the GarudaPlus fleet with volvo B9R buses , TSRTC has gone a step ahead and done something which we never could have imagined. What separates us from the rest TSRTC is always known to spring surprises . Shh.. what is the surprise now ? take a look at the picture below ..

Multi-axle.

Okay, have you observed it carefully ? is it a steerable rear axle . We have no answer yet !

The Hot Seat. Auto Transmission.

Okay ! observe the dash board now ! Pay attention towards the gear lever . Yes! this one has auto transmission . First time for a Garuda Plus to have that. Which bus is this then ?? feast on few more pictures before we reveal the beauty to you !

Emergency Exit Glass.

Interior.

T.S.R.T.C New Volvo B11R Garudaplus Bus.

T.S.R.T.C New Volvo B11R Garudaplus Bus.

Yes ! it is the B11R , TSRTC becomes one of the first STUs to own this advanced machine. As we mentioned in our earlier post GarudaPlus again, VOLVO agreed to supply 10 buses to TSRTC . of the lot as we know already, 8 are B9Rs so the other two slots have been filled by this advanced machine. 

Keep visiting the blog for more information on these beauties !

celebrate public transport - support stu s !

drafted and edited by 

Ratnam & Revanth.

JanBus the new Metro Express

Not a Scania. Not a Volvo! The wait is over and it is the JanBus now!! Innovation from our own Ashok Leyland.

As the month of June was coming to end, Chennai had started metro services on well, a 10 km short stretch and every one in the media was going nuts adoring how awesome metro was and how it was going to change the way people move wound in the city . A question we always had an will have is how will a 10km metro line change the way people move around in a city which has spread over 20km in radius. Adding to these lame comments was one genius of an advertisement for OLX in one of the news papers. It was conveying that metros  are the answer for the rattling buses we have . But does this not prove that people out there are looking for improved level of service ? Is it not true that that is exactly was being told in the national urban transport policy and mission document for JnNURM . Be it STU s , SPV s or Municipal Transport corporations, buses in India have been moving more people than any mode of mass transit. They will continue to do so ! The ease in setting up a bus based transport system and the flexibility of such systems is unmatched. We in no way here want to say high capacity mass transit options are a bad idea . But as always it is a question of our priorities . Now how many of you know the we are going to tell you in this post ? Do you all know the VOLVO low floors , of course you all know ! the pink metro luxuries of Hyderabad , red Vajras of Bengaluru are projected as the images of improved level of service in the cities . But can the bleeding corporation really afford to have such high end buses ? Fleet augmentation is need of the hour but how do we do that ? Don't we really have affordable options in the Indian market ? When JnNURM first rolled in TATA marcopolo and Ashok Leyland's low floor buses were touted as economical substitutes but we all know how they fared ! Also the biggest complaint with low floor buses was there are steps inside the bus ! obviously the bus not completely low floor because the engine was mounted on the rear end ! This complaint had always been there in the driver - conductor circles . Many feel overwhelmed by the might of these ? So is there a mid way where we can achieve between improved level of service and keeping the operating costs practical . This time around the answer is not from Scania, Merc nor VOLVO, Ladies and gentlemen we present you an innovation from our own Ashok Leyland . We all will be guilty of cheer leading VOLVO , but this time around dunk in some awesomeness of AL !  

The JnNURM Logo and JanBus Badge.

JanBus is a bus designed by Ashok Leyland for city operations in emerging markets . this bus aims to bridge the gap between improved level of service and practical operating costs . JanBus is world's first and only front engine fully flat floor single step entry bus. So! this bus does not have any  steps inside just take one step in and walk through the flat floor ! Ashok leyland had done a really good job in churning out this bus . This also has manual-auto transmission which will make life easier for the drivers and yet not overwhelm them . This one also has cantilever seats which make cleaning the floor easier which always is a pain for the operators . But well who cares let us look at this with the same prejudice because only VOLVOs are awesome and we cannot expect anything better from Ashok Leyland . 

Coach Builder - KMS, Bangalore.

The Elevated Variant Name with JnNURM and A.P.S.R.T.C Logos.

Interiors.

And here are the Exteriors...

A.P.S.R.T.C jnnurm New Ashok Leyland METRO EXPRESS Bus.

A.P.S.R.T.C jnnurm New Ashok Leyland METRO EXPRESS Bus.

A.P.S.R.T.C jnnurm New Ashok Leyland METRO EXPRESS Bus.

A.P.S.R.T.C jnnurm New Ashok Leyland METRO EXPRESS Bus.

A.P.S.R.T.C JnNURM New Ashok Leyland METRO EXPRESS Bus.

It has been an year since the first JanBus rolled out on the streets of Kolkata and hardly any one is excited about the fact that this bus is a game changer. Andhra pradesh got its order delivered very recently but there has been a steady growth in number JanBus es on roads with more and more corporations receiving these buses . We are really hopeful people will welcome these buses with warmness and spread the joy of comfortable yet affordable city bus operations  ! 

Color Politics

APSRTC (undivided) celebrated 75 years of its formation in 2006. The Corporation then carried out a massive Re-Branding exercise across the classes of services it was offering. Of the lot , PalleVelugu was the most appreciated service as it was the first time after so many attempts at branding entry level no frill service succeeded . Corporation had earlier tried branding them new age ordinary and Gramini for sometime. The new PalleVelugu which means " light of village " was a well thought and apt name. The green and white livery signified  agrarian economy of undivided rural AndhraPradesh. 

Just when the state was getting divided (re organized) , Hyderabad had a sudden induction of BSIV buses in to the fleet. Also 3rd generation non JnNURM metros were getting re-built. The re built metros and ordinaries sported a new look with a nice graphic. This time corporation made sure there was no clutter and kept the graphics same and just changed the colors for services . Red meant Ordinary and Blue meant Express. So, when the news of new Metro Delux buses getting built came out, we were excited . We expected them to have same graphics but with a different color. The day the first bus rolled in, We were surprised ! the bus had similar graphics in green but wait, It also had streaks of Pink on it. It is not that Hyderabad never had pink  buses, the one off City Sheetal which marked the end of JnNURM one sanctions for the city and first generation middle door metros were in pink.

Surprise in Pink ! new Metro Deluxe 

Pink on buses this time had a different reason . We will not get specific about that reason. But, for readers who have very less knowledge about political parties in Telangana and AndhraPradesh, TelanganaRashtraSamiti (TRS) which is the ruling party in Telangana uses Pink the most. It's counterpart TeluguDesamParty (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh uses Yellow.   

TRS might have thought okay we have painted Deluxes in our color so what is next in line.. When the first set of Metro Luxuries arrived in town, we expeted them to have some sort of  pink even before we could get pictures. They obviously had pink on them, if you observe closely few have pale pink and few have a darker shade.At that moment I was trying hard to believe there was no pressure on the corporation to paint them in TRS s favorite color.

Death of classic PalleVelugu livery

AndhraPradesh might have thought left behind in the race, it played catch up by painting all new services in same graphics. Green and Maroon streaks on Bright yellow. Oh! this also marked the end of  brand name PalleVelugu in AndhraPradesh. The entry level service was named Telugu Velugu . This was touted as pride of Telugu speaking people in a newly re organized state . Seriously ? we thought that was their party's slogan. Any way sense prevailed later when the transport minsiter was visibly disappointed over the choice of representing the colors as it was reported. The corporation then went on a design spree and churned out quick half cooked graphics for all services. All services now had little streaks of yellow barring TeluguVelugu which had a significant amount of yellow on it.

All in Yellow

Respite in subtle expression! New Super Luxury

Both states do not seem to be stopping this spree of painting buses in their favorite colors. New Metro Express buses for small towns in AndhraPradesh and Garuda Plus for Telangana have colors of parties in power integrated in to the graphics.

 no end for our obsession - TSRTC s Garuda Plus

TDP had earlier resorted to such dirty representation when it got the corporation paint Veera buses which replaced Metro Liners in yellow. Congress , right after coming in to power made sure it got rid of the Yellows. Should the corporation be left at the mercy of whims and fancies of state to impose the aspirations of parties in power . is the corporation not autonomous.

Should the corporation stand against increasing interference of governments in its operations ? Does it have the guts to do it or will the state governments continue to rub their aspirations on the corporation. Let us wait and see what transpires over time.

Brothers

TSRTC & APSRTC - A new beginning !

It all started in 1932 when the Nizam government of Hyderabad state decided to have state operated road transport. The corporation which is now of a mammoth size connecting most of andhrapradesh and telangana had a modest beginning with 27 buses and less than 200 men at helm . When the State of Hyderabad was annexed in to union of India, The state government of Hyderabad did look for the option of incorporating the state road transport services which until then were a department in the government of Nizam State. NSR, already was operating in all districts of Telangana. The NSR was transferred to Hyderabad state which continued its services under the transport department of the state . Unfortunately it could not be incorporated, given part B states did not have the luxury of having road transport corporations then.  When the state of Andhra Pradesh was formed in 1956,  Telangana already had good network of state operated road transport , thanks to NSR . It was not the same in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema though .. There were very few private operators running buses then , So the government of Andhra Pradesh had an option of either denationalizing the  services in Telangana or extend the state operated transport to other districts of the state.  A welcome decision was taken , which then proved to be one of the best decisions made by the state government . Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation was established on 11thJanuary 1958 after the transport department was incorporated, routes in coastal ap and rayalaseema were nationalized paving way for quality state operated public transport.

read this book for more information on history of the corporation ! 

APSRTC matured and grew over time winning hearts of many. when the state split on June 2 last year, Telangana and AndhraPradesh started a new journey towards prosperity. While many other corporations and government departments were bifurcated over time, APSRTC recieved much attention for delay in it s bifurcation.   

Telangana State Road Transport Corporation(T.S.R.T.C) and Andhra Pradesh state Road Transport Corporation (T.S.R.T.C)  will officially function as separate corporations from Today(03/06/15).

Earlier, several dates in May were announced for the corporation to work as two entities, but it was postponed for one reason or the other. Though Today(03/06/15) is the day the split will materialize, it is restricted to the administrative division, while assets remain  undivided between the two States.

T.S.R.T.C Official logo

T.S.R.T.C New Ashok Leyland PALLEVELUGU Bus.

T.S.R.T.C New Ashok Leyland PALLEVELUGU Bus.

two states - two corporations !

TELANGANA STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION &
 ANDHRA PRADESH STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION

 

Drafted and Edited by

G.S.R.Chaitanya (ratnam) & Revanth Chowdary.
LOVE of Z - Celebrating public Transport.