GSRTC’s new bus service is a result of long standing demand by the people especially from Bhavnagar, for a state owned , Quality and justly priced bus service. The real question is, does it live upto it’s promise or is another private like bus service in making with even worse standards. Lets dive deeper into the question and break up the experience piece by piece.
Ticketing.
Your journey experience begins with booking a ticket. The online ticketing option for the GSRTC buses is a breeze. You get all the options like seat selections, a lady seat and precise boarding and deboarding points. There are two options for selecting the payment gateways and you can also pay via net banking which isn’t possible if you use other operators.
The payment gateway is itself secure and gets the transaction done unlike those of the Private buses where amount is seldom debited but you don’t get your ticket. Also the cancellation policy in case of online booking is more lenient for GSRTC than other private bus operators.
You can also book tickets for GSRTC using RedBus and PayTM that would further drive down the cost on account of cashback and discounting these services offer. Also this means more ways to book your tickets from platforms you find convenient to use.
The ticketing experience would be almost the same if you like a journey to the booking office but given that Private operators have more offices they can be given a slight edge here.
Also, with GSRTC you will not be able to pre-book your ticket on credit by phone but that would not be a problem for many people as both services offer on the spot ticketing.
Bus-Stops and wait time.
In Ahmedabad these buses stop at more convenient locations compared to the private operators. The GSRTC bus stops are more in number and placed at better locations. Also there is no need to board a mini bus from YMCA as GSRTC buses can travel in the interior of the city. This saves a lot of time in waiting for the mini bus to arrive, and transferring your luggage in the mini bus.
In bhavnagar the bus will only stop at Nari, RTO and the GSRTC bus stop which may be a bummer for many.
In my journey from Ahmedabad to Bhavnagar the 10 clock bus arrived at Nehrunagar at 10:30 instead of the scheduled 10:10 (The service made up for the time delay later in the journey). Waiting at GSRTC stops means you may have to stand as you wait for the bus. Also the bus stops are way more crowded than the Private operator’s.
Time management and Punctuality
Even after the pickup delay I would rate GSRTC service to be way more punctual than others as it saves on delay in changing the bus from mini bus.
GSRTC buses use the BRTS lanes when available hence they zip through city traffic with ease. This will save 15–20 mins if you are traveling during the evening rush time from Ahmedabad.
I reached Bhavnagar in a total travel time of 3hr and 15 mins as compared to 4- 4 :30 it would take for other bus services. This is a major boon for frequent passengers like students and helps a lot in reducing travel fatigue.
Route
The Bus takes the short route via Dholera and the total kilometres are 179 Kms as mentioned on the ticket. The bus does not stop at any smaller hamlets en-route and travels nonstop except for the halt.
Halt
The place where the bus will halt is solely based on the driver’s discretion. In my case the driver wanted to reach Bhavnagar Non-stop, but later stopped at Hotel Sahyog in Dholera when passengers asked for it.
It is recommended that if you have a choice where you want to take a halt better request the driver in advance for it.
Bus- Staff
The bus staff was surprisingly polite and disciplined. The conductor and the driver were in their Khaki Uniform which is the norm for GSRTC. All my queries like where will the bus stop ? Why is the television not working ? etc were answered calmly and in a very polite fashion.
This was the biggest plus for me as compared to the brutes and the rude bus staff employed by the Private Operators. Many passengers even struck a Uber driver like conversation with the Conductor, who also helped the passengers with their luggage and played with toddlers while ensuring their safety.
No Cheap thrills !
The biggest menace of the private services has been that all unsold tickets are black marketed and sold to any traveller by the driver and the staff. Such passengers do not value the service and also are a hazard to the ticketed passengers.
Also private buses make frequent stops on the route to accommodate ticketless passengers in the drivers cabin, who choke up the space and make communication with the bus staff impossible. Also a lot of time is wasted as these people embark and disembark at will.
GSRTC services does not allow ticketless travellers of any sort whatsoever. If there any unsold seats left they must be purchased at the original price, and a ticket is duly issued by a POS like device from the conductor.
I did not find any nuisance from co-passengers and were as good as or even better than the ones that usually use the private bus services.
Safety
Even though the bus takes an hour less than others to cover the same distance the driving was safe. The bus also does not lean as much as the other old private buses do and are generally better at taking on pot holes.
Each window is equipped with a safety hammer to break the glass in case of emergency. This is a major plus and makes you feel safe.
You can also track your bus at gsrtc.in if you know the registration number and your PNR number.
CCTV
The buses are equipped with CCTV in the inside as well as outside. Though this has become a mandatory rule many private buses do not have cctv or are placed only in the inside of the bus. This will be a great relief for single women and other travellers as upar wala sab dekh raha hai !
Other Amenities
The bus has a new coach that is way more cleaner than the private operators and does not stink as of now.
It is a humble request to all passengers using this service to use it judiciously.
Large Windows
The windows on this bus is quite large and major plus for people who get sick of cramped spaces or suffer from claustrophobia.
Seats
The seats are comfortable and can be pushed back as expected. The leg room is similar to the other private services.
The shoulder room is slightly less due to compact nature of the bus and may be a trouble for fat passengers, regular users may disregard this.
The bottle holders and the magazine holders have their netting intact as of now.
The conductors seat is placed resting on the left wall of the bus and as a result opening and closing of doors does not disturb the passenger as much as those opting for seats (A,B) in private operators.
Ac Vents and top console
The AC vents are similar to those that you find in other buses but the cooling rate is better as of now.
The reading lamps are way better than the cheap LED light used by the private services and can be adjusted as per your needs.
Also the dedicated speaker on each seat means that the sound is ambient and not too loud or too tiny as in case of other private services who rely on large blaring speakers placed at some intervals.
Tv
The busses have a smaller 28 inch tv compared to the 32 inch screen used by other services. However they were not given electrical connections during my journey and I will reserve my verdict on it.
However, one can expect poor quality pirated and illegal content will not be played on these screens.
Clock
A clock has been placed on the front side of each bus towards the upper right corner which I found to be useful. The clock also gives out a small beep at stroke of each hour which is not irritating. This is a welcome amenity which all bus operators must adapt.
Plug points
This is the single greatest feature of this bus. Dedicated plug points are available at the bottom right and left on each row.
This means you don’t have to worry about low phone battery or carry a power bank. Movie marathons on your phone during the journey is lit.
Verdict
The service is not available on hourly basis but is definitely better than Private operators in terms of time and Money(₹243 vs ₹280). Also the buses have better amenities. I can foresee more and more people using this services on regular basis with time.
This service if it continues to maintain similar standard will be the #1 choice for many.
The conductor also informed me that a Volvo service is also planned to start which may further cut down the travel time.
Update 1 : On 12/11/18 the 3 Pm bus from Ahmedabad to Bhavnagar left from NehruNagar at 4:30 Pm late by 1 hr 20 mins.
Update 2: Private operators have decided to reduce ticket price to ₹ 250 from 14/11/18
Update 3: On 22/11/18 the 7:45 PM bus was reportedly late by an hour by the time it rea
ched Iscon Cross Roads.
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