[Journey Review] SRS Scania Metrolink HD Multiaxle : Bengaluru - Belagavi

12:24:00 PM Biswajit SVM Chaser 0 Comments

I was on a three month vacation and trip to my howtown, Guwahati. It was time to plan my return journey back to my workplace, Belagavi (Belgaum). With my flight tickets from Guwahati to Bengaluru done, I was scheduling my onward journey from Bengaluru to Belagavi by bus. With a plethora of premium bus services available on this route on NH4 highway, I planned to book a SRS Scania Metrolink Multiaxle Day / Night Service from Bengaluru. I was accompanied by my mother, who even preferred a day service than taking a night service to Belagavi. 

I booked my ticket on the SRS Online bus ticket booking portal, selecting seats on the second row (Seats number 3 and 4 encircled in red in the seating layout shown below). The SRS Scania Multiaxle had a scheduled departure at 09:00 hrs (09:00 am) in the morning with my boarding point selected at SRS Anand Rao Circle Terminus, Bengaluru. 

I arrived at SRS Bus Terminus located at Anand Rao Circle at around 08:15 hrs in the morning, 45 minutes ahead of scheduled departure timing of 09:00 hrs. At 08:45 hrs, i received a message from SRS Travels stating that the departure timing is now rescheduled at 10:00 hrs. We waited at the passenger departure shade at the terminus with all our belongings for the bus to arrive. The reason of the delayed departure was given as - Bengaluru traffic conditions on the message from SRS. After an one hour delay, the SRS Scania finally arrived at around 09:50 hrs. I handed over my luggage to the bus crew to be kept in the side luggage compartment. Unfortunately the cleaner of the coach spoke to me in an indecent manner, which was totally unprofessional. I took a note of the same to be reported to the concerned authority in SRS. 

Finally at 10:10 hrs, the SRS Scania left Anand Rao Circle towards Pune. With scheduled pick ups on way, it left Bengaluru outskirts at 11:15 hrs. The 14.5 mtr Scania Metrolink is one of the comfortable drivelines to travel in India for a bus passenger. With low NVH levels and a serene comfort and luxury inside the bus, the passenger can feel an ethereal experience onboard the coach. At 12:00 noon, the bus halted at a hotel on NH4, near Bengaluru for a Tea / Bio-Break. 

After half an hour break, we touched the highway again, The driving was sedate and safe. A Hindi movie was being played for passenger entertainment. Soon we crossed Tumkur and Chitradurga on our way to Belagavi. The reclinable semi sleeper seats with the calf support was comfortable for the passenger for a long journey. The mobile charging ports were kept 'ON' throughout the journey. At around 15:15 hrs, our Scania stopped for lunch break near NH4 highway, at Davangere outskirts. The hotel was decent with good food facilities and clean restrooms / toilets. A SRS Volvo B9R I-Shift Multiaxle Sleeper 1357 also came and halted after sometime. The coach was headed towards Bengaluru. After half an hour of lunch break, our Scania departed towards Belagavi, at 15:45 hrs. After having lunch, i felt sleepy and dozed off to wake up near Hubballi at around 17:00 hrs. There was a passenger drop and pick up at the Hubballi bypass, as the bus doesnt go inside Hubballi City. Belagavi was just another one and half hours away from Hubballi. As we approached the NH4 section between Dharwad and Belagavi, the outside climate showed a change from bright sunny to dark clouds approaching fast. As we reached half way between Dharwad and Belagavi, it started raining heavily. At around 18:30 hrs we finally entered Belagavi City limits and at 18:40 hrs we got down at SRS Ramdev. An one hour delay as predicted due to initial delayed departure at Bengaluru. Apart from the initial delay of 1 hour, the Scania made me reach on time, driving in a safe and sedate way. The journey was nice except for the errant bus cleaner behavior, which i had reported to SRS authorities in Belagavi and action was taken at spot in Belagavi. 

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