Indian buses

guerik

slowbus: where on earth do you find a karaoke bus? That sounds like it could be fun (as a novelty, one off, kind of thing).

I really like Indian buses generally though, as long as I'm feeling well to start with and it has a chai stop every few hours.
It's sort of like a day at a theme park, with only one ride.

steven_ber

slowbus & albaruni

Very funny posts

This bus is waiting to take you from Calcutta to Trivandrum, it has karaoke on the top deck and plays bollywood movies downstairs.

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sudheer poppa

Good one steven

Just a small safety note to all planning for the bus journey (incase you did not know). Take the side, opposite to the driver and sit as much towards the front side of the bus. Most accidents happen from the oncoming traffic toward the side of the driver.

If comfort prevails over safety, look for a seat in the side of the bus, which would not have much of sunshine hitting your face. It can be quite annoying in the mornings and evenings in a long distance journey.

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jaz

l practically travelled by local bus everywhere! Did a few private 'video buses; too' where you book before. On teh local buses just sit your arse down (if theres a seat) and then the guy goes round collecting the cash and hands you a scruffy bit of paper, he'll give you any change just before your about to get off as he logs it down in a little notebook, all very efficient! I really enjoyed it but l could converse a little in hindi and l'm an NRI. I never saw any other tourist on a local bus so l don't know what wouold be the reaction if an obvious foreigner was to place their bum on a seat??

slowbus

The words "sound', "fun", and "karaoke" should never be used together . I had the same thought as you, but I was wrong. It may not have been too bad for a couple of hours, but IT JUST DIDN'T STOP! Although it's a close call, I'd have to say I preferred the vomit bus.

The trip I took was in Indonesia, but I imagine (fear?) that they're in widespread use elsewhere too.

slowbus

sudheer

I'm usually impressed with myself when I manage to actually get any seat! But to be able to choose one??? Wow

sudheer poppa

Given the choice that was !!!

neoncarrot

I think Slowbuses post covered the questions in much the way I'd put it, but a point specifically about the buses in Himachal Pradesh. If possible, avoid the privately run ordinary class buses (I dont mean the deluxe tourist buses which are almost all private) and try to stick with the state bus company - HRTC. The private companies will, as my landlord says, stop every time a dog wags its tail and are invariably twice as packed and the drivers twice as crazy. There is also some theoretical rule that says government run buses should have tread on the tyres, and its usually true, whereas the privateers take the Schumacher approach to driving in the wet on slicks.

In HP the ones I always avoid like the plague are the unreasonably battered yellow and white Punjab roadways buses driven by the opiated Sikh with the white beard and bulging eyes, they really scare me.

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DianeN.

Neoncarrot--I just looked at your website. It's wonderful!!

lobo

Thanks for your help guys/girls.
I will be landing in delhi and Im am not sure if i will get a bus from there to dharamsala or get the train to pathaknot then the bus.
Hopefull once in HP the bus journeys will be from 2-6 hours and no longer.
Im sure once I have survived a few journeys I will laugh at my fears.

indiamike

Deluxe buses leave from Paharganj to Dharamsala around 4:30 in the afternoon and arrive around 8am the next morning (around 400 - 450 rupees). Pretty easy to get a ticket from any travel agent in the area.

I consider it a gravy run. Meaning it's pretty easy, somewhat comfy, roads are good, and not a bad trip (you won't sleep though). However the same trip back is the vomit comet for the first few hours when your weaving down the mountains.

If you have the cash, get two seats side by side and turn it into a bed.


Trains to Pathaknot will need to be booked a few days ahead of time and you will still have to take the bus or taxi over to Dharamsala (four hours I think???)

Mike

lobo

Thanks for the info , its confusing to decide which travel to get .
A guy earlier was saying the deluxe coaches might have AC etc but no windows taht open!!!! and private companies buses are sometimes in a worse state.
When I get to delhi I might have a look at the "deluxe" coach and local buses and then decide.
I dont mind spending a few days in delhi to wait for the train to pathaknot and then the bus ride is only like u say about 4 hours.
I am not the best traveller in coaches/buses but I wont eat much beforehand so fingers crossed.
If I can open a window Im normally ok.
I could get a taxi from pathaknot to dharamasala I suppose should be quicker than a bus but more expensive about 1000-14000 ruppes i guess.

larsomat

I really love this tip!

That's exactly how I felt while travelling by bus in India. I always went into some kind of meditative state.

One further tip:
- Try to sit straight the whole time. Don't try to go into some kind of sleeping-position. The roads are so bumpy, your back will start to hurt after some hours. Sitting straight will prevent this from happening.

gekko

Public transport howsoever criticized in India is far more extensive and cheap and to a large extent safe considering the number of buses which ply vs accident ratio.

In north, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan run extensive networks largely because rail network is small.
Here state run buses are more strong in delievery, so people should prefer them.
What you cant help is ofcourse chosing whom you travel with since all and sundry use public transport. But lately, VolVo buses which are state of the line are being plied on select routes by some state transports. I know of Shimla, Dharamshala being covered by them. There could be more point of stops.

Regarding public vs pvt., unless the tour operator is large and old(you can find that by enquiring), theres always the question of credibility about private buses.

Delhi has two or more Inter state bus terminal depending where you want to go. Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal , J&K, Chandigarh etc is covered by Kashmiri Gate bus stop.

Similarly, South India is more strong with network of private operators. They cover extensively almost all of south (Karnataka, Hyderabad, Kerela, Tamil Nadu, Maharasthra, Goa etc)

Prefer private operators
some names you can trust in matter of service are
Sharma, VRL, Konduskar, Raj Travels etc. There are plenty more I believe. In south India the brand of pvt bus operators is visible with their logos in many travel agents who books these services. Its a very competitive and market driven operation, so chances of getting fleeced are pretty low. These operators are the one who started the concept of VolVo travel in India.
So there is normal, deluxe and new emergent Volvo class travel.
For those who dont know about volvo, these buses cost around in excess of $100,000. They complete the journey in 75% of the run time of the normal buses.
Prices are 1.7 to 2 times of the normal bus fares but in comparison to 40% to 50% of the Airfares on the segment.

in short, you dont have to worry about public transport in India. The coverage is better than many western nations

tanyalynne

I'm glad I found this post, I leave for my first trip in one month (!!!) and I'm going to be in India for 6 months. Since I'm there for so long I'm not planning much and am hoping to just go where I want when I feel like it. It's good to hear some positive comments about the buses since they seem to be my best bet for cheap and spontaneous transportation.

Here's my question: (and if my question has already been answered just post the link. Don't roll your eyes and make sarcastic comments...I'm new here)

Okay, is it better to just show up at the bus station, buy my ticket an hour or so in advance and hop on OR go to a travel agency and purchase my ticket a couple days in advance?

My main reason for asking is:

Do you end up paying a significant amount more for the help of a travel agent?

And just for further info, I'm mostly talking about 4-5 hour journeys between main cities in Rajasthan (where I will be for my first month or so).

Thanks for the help!