Jun 20, 2011 10:59 PM
4862 Views
I travelled recently from Mumbai to Bangalore by Raj National Express sleeper bus. After reading all the negative reviews here I made it a point to at least take a first hand view of the bus before booking. So, a day prior to my journey I went to the starting point at 4 pm when the bus usually commences its run. The bus came sharp at 4 pm and left without delay. Impressive.
Besides the bus was gleaming new and had clean interiors. I was impressed. So I purchased a ticket for the next day. On my travel day, however, I was disappointed to see an old bus, with several large ugly paint touch-ups, turn up at 4 pm. Well. In I go. The bed linens did not look fresh, but they were not bad either. They had not been changed for a couple of trips, I guess. The bus left on time and the travel throughout was not really uncomfortable. At Pune, they did waste 2 hours waiting for some passengers. And that resulted in the bus reaching Bangalore late by 2 hours.
However, the drivers were largely good and co-operative. One of the difficulties in travelling long distance by bus is the very few stops for "passenger relief " and the absence of toilet facilities along the way. This could be a nightmare for women. Fortunately at around 6.30 pm at Vashi when I asked the driver about a "toilet halt" he was kind enough to advise me to wait until the Experssway where he said there was a public toilet. The good man remembered his promise about an hour later and did halt.
Be sporting with the drivers and the staff and they are helpful. The sleeper bus is not such a bad idea after all. Raj service was not bad either.
