Sep 06, 2007 10:14 AM
7516 Views
(Updated Sep 06, 2007 12:36 PM)
I am a resident of Mumbai but work in a company in Pune. So on weekends I hop back to Mumbai. I have been travelling the Mumbai - Pune route almost every Friday / Saturday and Monday for return. Earlier I used the Volvo service but their charges were exhorbitant (Rs. 250 and upwards on a weekend). But reprieve came in the form of a full page ad of Raj Travels that I saw in Mumbai Mirror Newspaper. I was very happy that the tickets for Raj National Express Buses would be Rs. 99 + Taxes. So immediately thought of trying it out. Logged on to the internet. The website takes some time to open.
The interface is just like an airline ticket booking website. Just select the source, destination and Date and you are given various options of different timings and their charges. Initially since not many people knew about this service the rush was less and many a times the buses would be half empty. The ticketing structure is also similar to flight booking as in the more late you are in booking the ticket the more you have to pay. I was lucky to find the 99 + taxes (Total 103.45) wala ticket at my time. Btw, this lowest fare is only for first few bookings. Then the next slot is 130 then 160 and last 200 rupees. Since I had once travelled before in the Tata Globus Bus, I knew it. I usually take the first seat since I need more leg space. Compared to Volvo these Buses are not that comfortable but you cant expect more for Rs 104. But the good thing is that, they have TV :)
Also sometimes they give a small mineral water bottle. The Raj website lists the travelling time is 5 hrs but is usually less. But when we compare this bus in terms of speed with Volvos they are no match. The Tata Globus Buses are slow and I mean it. I have seen volvos and other Maha Buses zoom past these on the Expressway. The buses start from Borivali and Go uptil Pune station. They stop at Bandra Kherwadi and then in Chembur. The stoppages are dependant on the no of people boarding at that place. In evening time, I have observed that the bus stops at Vashi too. Frquency of Buses is quiet ok. They have buses every half an hour in morning and evening and no buses in a paricular slot in afternoon. In the rarest of ocassions you may get a Volvo. In evening, their buses are usually late. Overall my experince with the Raj National Express has been quite satisfactory till now.
Somethings I would like them to improve are:-
-> Tickets booked online should have an offline cancellation facility also.
-> Loyality points for frequent travellers.
