Know your buses - APSRTC Edition

Express, Ultra Deluxe, Telugu Velugu and Super Luxury. How many types of buses does APSRTC operate. What do they all mean ? Here is a brief explainer for all the products offered by the corporation. 

Telugu Velugu

Telugu Velugu (TV) or Ordinary are the entry level non ac buses. The primary function of these buses is to connect villages with the nearest urban center. TV are used by villages to access services in nearby towns. They provide the means for students to access higher education, connect farmers to markets and jobs. Telugu Velugu buses were earlier branded Palle Velugu, similar to their counterparts in Telangana. 

Telugu Velugu buses are built on 10-11m long Ashok Leyland, Tata or Eicher chassis with 180HP engines. They have only one wide door after front axle, aligned to the middle of wheelbase. Buses that start off as Telugu Velugu have tinted windows and seats in 3X2 layout. Older buses have headrests while the new ones are built like benches. All Telugu Velugu that don't have full body ads are painted in yellow and green stripes. 

Ultra Telugu Velugu

In 2017, APSRTC launched an affordable version of one of their most used product - Express and branded them Ultra Telugu Velugu. The name is a play on the entry level product Telugu Velugu. However, the idea of having a "better" ordinary bus is not new. In 2010, then undivided A.P.S.R.T.C started operating "Merupu" buses as a response to "Toofan" cabs that gained popularity because of lower fare and faster service. 

Most Ultra Telugu Velugu are built similar to the regular Telugu Velugu buses. However, the corporation has got a  few private builders top try a radical design that looks like a scaled down Ultra Deluxe. These buses have plastic molded seats and stainless steel interiors while the exteriors are painted in blue and gold strips on a white background.

Express

Express buses offer faster connections to district head quarters from tier three cities. These buses are used by businessmen and citizens in general to access administrative services and healthcare. They also function as a low cost option on inter city and interstate routes. Express buses are also built on 10-11m long Ashok Leyland, Tata or Eicher chassis with 180HP engines. They have only one door in the front overhang. Express buses have tinted windows and seats with slight incline and headrest in 3X2 layout. These buses have a wave looking graphic painted in two shades of blue on a white background and a dash of yellow. 

Saptagiri Express

Saptagiri Express are the best way to travel from Tirupati to Tirumala Hills. Built on special short wheel base chassis made for Ghat roads, these buses are operated from Tirumala to Tirupati and various other places including Chennai and Bengaluru. Interiors are similar to regular express buses.  

Ultra Deluxe 

Ultra Deluxe is an upgrade from older Deluxe buses which got popular on short routes with travel times not exceeding 3 hours. APSRTC operates them aggressively with 10-15 minute head ways. They are also used as an affordable option on longer routes. Contrary to popular imagination, North east cost region operates the most long distance Ultra Deluxe buses. 

Ultra Deluxe buses use the same chassis as Express buses. The corporation started building better looking buses with single front wind shield and a redesigned face when Deluxe buses got an upgrade as Ultra Deluxe. These buses have reclining seats in 2X2 layout. The exteriors have a confusing set of graphics pasted on white background. 

Super Luxury 

Super Luxury (SL) buses are operated on Intercity and Inter State routes. Most routes dominated by Deluxe buses are now getting replaced with the better equipped SL buses. Most depots in Andhra Pradesh have at least one SL to Hyderabad and Vijayawada. 

Super Luxury uses the same chassis as Express buses. However these buses are peppered with amenities. For starters, SL buses have Air Suspension that helps in a smoother ride. The buses are built with GI frames and Aluminium sheets complete with a Fiber face for better aesthetics. These buses have reclining seats in 2X2 layout. Additionally, there is a TV with a lot of pre loaded movies and some advertisements. These buses have a flame looking graphic painted in Yellow, Orange and Maroon on a white background. 

Economy A/C

This is probably the most un inspiring product of all. Introduced in the summer of 2018, Economy AC buses are aimed at passengers willing to pay extra money for AC but cannot afford the full fare on Indra. This bus is an exact copy of Super Luxury except it has a partition that separates the AC cabin from the first few rows that are non A/C. There are very few of these in service but plans are on to increase the fleet by next summer. 

Indra

Indra buses were first introduced in 2011 as an affordable AC product. These buses are operated from small towns to important cities like Tirupati, Vijayawada, Chennai and Hyderabad .APSRTC has not added a single bus to the fleet from 2014. (Exceptions being the few hire Indras from 2014) unlike TSRTC that went all out on increasing the fleet of Indra buses. 

Indra buses use Ashok Leyland's 12m chassis with 230HP engine. These can easily reach up to 99 kmph. Like super luxury buses, Indra are built strong with  GI frames and Aluminium sheets complete with a Fiber face for better aesthetics. They also have reclining seats and a TV on board. Rajadhani buses have a simple line graphic on a white back ground. Passengers also get amenities like a water bottle and a blanket.

Garuda

Garuda, introduced in early 2000s redefined "Luxury" travel in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. While TSRTC chose to phase out this product, APSRTC surprised us all by purchasing Corona buses. These buses are similar to VOLVO but have a lower price tag. Garuda buses are operated on long distance routes where Garuda Plus and Amaravati are not feasible. 

Garuda Plus

Garuda Plus was introduced in 2011 as an answer to the uptake of Multi Axle buses in the inter city segment. Then undivided APSRTC started off with Mercedes buses. VOLVO's B9R buses were added to the fleet with in a year. These buses proved to be successful on interstate routes paving way for APSRTC's domination on routes like Hyderabad-Vijayawada. Like Indra and Garuda buses, Garuda Plus buses also serve as a luxury option on short routes. However, there are very few Garuda Plus buses left in service thanks to the transition to Amaravati. 

Amaravati

Named after Andhra Pradesh's new capital city, Amaravati is an upgrade to older Garuda Plus buses. Over the last four years, APSRTC replaced most old Garuda and Garuda Plus buses with brand new VOLVO and Scania Multi Axle buses. Amaravati buses have reclining seats, TV and music system.  They also come with mobile charging points. Like all AC buses, water bottles and blankets are given no matter where you board the bus.

Vennela and Vennela Economy

Vennela was first introduced as an answer to the uptake of sleeper buses in the private sector. This product never really took off thanks to limitations imposed by Andhra Pradesh Motor Vehicle Rules and exorbitant fare. APSRTC uses ISUZU buses with berths similar to a 2 tier train as Vennela. Conventional sleeper buses have berths in 2+1 layout increasing the capacity of the bus. However, this was not allowed in Andhra Pradesh until Last year. After a series of complaints from the private sector and pressure from APSRTC, Andhra Pradesh state government amended the MV rules to allow 2+1 sleeper buses. Shortly after this, the corporation modified a couple of Vennela buses with berths in 2+1 layout and branded them Vennela Economy. Plans are on to add more Vennela Economy buses as the demand for sleeper buses on long distance routes continues to grow. 

Text : Ratnam

Pictures : Ratnam, Rakshit

Know your buses - TSRTC Edition

Express, Deluxe, Pallevelugu and Super Luxury. How many types of buses does TSRTC operate. What do they all mean ? Here is a brief explainer for all the products offered by the corporation. 

Pallevelugu.

Pallevelugu (PV) or Ordinary are the entry level non ac buses. The primary function of these buses is to connect villages with the nearest urban center. PV are used by villages to access services in nearby towns. They provide the means for students to access higher education, connect farmers to markets and jobs.

Pallevelugu buses are built on 10-11m long Ashok Leyland, Tata or Eicher chassis with 180HP engines. They have only one wide door after front axle, aligned to the middle of wheelbase. Buses that start off as Pallevelugu have tinted windows and seats in 3X2 layout. Older buses have headrests while the new ones are built like benches. All Pallevelugu that don't have full body ads are painted in light green on a white back ground 

PV has the lowest fare of all products offered by TSRTC. Very few buses start their life as a PV. Most Express, Deluxe and Super Luxury buses get rebuilt and brought back to serve as PV. TSRTC also hires PV buses from small scale operators for ten years to avoid the upfront cost involved in purchasing a bus.

Pallevelugu Mini. 

Pallevelugu buses sometimes connect remote villages and many of these routes do not have sufficient ridership to justify a full sized bus. To reduce operation costs and provide better service, TSRTC procured Mini buses and branded them Mini Pallevelugu. Fare on these buses is the same as full sized buses. However, many buses have already been diverted to serve as non stop services between small towns defeating the purpose of procuring these buses.

Express.

Express buses offer faster connections to district head quarters from tier three cities. These buses are used by businessmen and citizens in general to access administrative services and healthcare. They also function as low cost option on inter city and interstate routes. Many towns in Telangana have at least one express bus per hour to Hyderabad. 

Express buses are also built on 10-11m long Ashok Leyland, Tata or Eicher chassis with 180HP engines. They have only one door in the front overhang. Express buses have tinted windows and seats with slight incline and headrest in 3X2 layout. These buses have a wave looking graphic painted in two shades of blue on a white background. 

Deluxe 

Deluxe buses are popular on short routes with travel times not exceeding 3 hours. TSRTC operates them aggressively with 10-15 minute head ways. They are also used as an affordable option on longer routes. 

Deluxe buses use the same chassis as Express buses. In fact the exteriors of the buses are built same. However, these buses have better seats with cushions and cloth upholstery in 2X2 layout. Deluxe buses have a  very peculiar graphic painted in purple on a white background.  

Super Luxury 

Super Luxury (SL) buses are operated on Intercity and Inter State routes. Most routes dominated by Deluxe buses are now getting replaced with the better equipped SL buses. All district headquarters have at least one SL bus per hour to Hyderabad. 

Again, Super Luxuries use the same chassis as Express and Deluxe buses. However these buses are peppered with amenities. For starters, SL buses have Air Suspension that helps in a smoother ride. The buses are built with GI frames and Aluminium sheets complete with a Fiber face for better aesthetics. These buses have reclining seats in 2X2 layout. Additionally, there is a TV with a lot of pre loaded movies and some advertisements. These buses have a minimal graphic in white and grey painted on a Pink background. 

Rajadhani

Rajadhani buses were first introduced in 2011 (branded Indra) as an affordable AC product. These buses are operated from all district head quarters to Hyderabad and some locations beyond. Some of the most successful SL services are now getting an upgrade with Rajadhani buses.

Rajadhani buses use Ashok Leyland's 12m chassis with 230HP engine. These buses can easily reach up to 99 kmph. Like super luxury buses, Rajadhanis are built strong with  GI frames and Aluminium sheets complete with a Fiber face for better aesthetics. They also have reclining seats and a TV on board. Rajadhani buses have a simple line graphic on a rather dull green back ground. Passengers also get amenities like a water bottle and a blanket.

Garuda 

As ageing VOLVO B7R s get replaced, Garuda is a fast vanishing product. Garuda redefined "luxury" travel in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Powerful 230HP engines and plush interiors, there was no bus comfortable than a Garuda. These buses are operated on some of the longest routes. They also serve as a luxury option on shorter routes. 

Garuda Plus 

Garuda Plus was introduced in 2011 as an answer to the uptake of Multi Axle buses in the inter city segment. TSRTC started off with Mercedes buses. VOLVO's B9R buses were added to the fleet with in a year. These buses proved to be successful on interstate routes paving way for TSRTC's domination on routes like Hyderabad-Bengaluru. Like Rajadhani and Garuda buses, Garuda Plus buses also serve as a luxury option on short routes. 

In 2014, TSRTC became the first government bus agency in India to own a VOLVO B11R. At 14.5 meters this was once India's longest bus. Scania buses powered by Bio Diesel also serve as Garuda Plus. To sum up, TSRTC now has VOLVO B9Rs with manual and automatic transmission along with a bunch of Scania and Mercedes Benz buses. Most Garuda Plus buses have reclining seats with a calf rest. In addition to TVs and music system, they also come with mobile charging points. Like all AC buses, water bottles and blankets are given no matter where you board the bus.

While the older buses were experimented on with different colors, newer Garuda Plus buses have a uniform livery done with a combination of dark blue and peach colors along with a dash of all important pink. 

Vajra

Launched with a tagline mobility redefined, Vajra buses seek to redefine day time business and leisure travel in Telangana. Unlilke the conventional buses, Vajra buses start from residential colonies and commercial hubs in Hyderabad and have drop off points all over the major cities of Telangana. TSRTC uses Mahindra's Cosmo mini buses for this product. Customers can track their buses on their mobile phones which is facilitated by a tab on board the bus. 

However noble the intentions might be, Vajra failed to impress users. Thanks to shortcomings like not being able to tickets on board the bus, the product did not perform well. Though most problems have been ironed out, Vajra still seems like ahead of time.   

Was that a lot ? This was an attempt from our side to explain the different products offered by TSRTC. Do you have any questions ? Please write to us on our Facebook ! Hope this is helpful. 

Text : Ratnam 

Pictures : Sampath