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- A privately owned Tata bus in Pune. Most Tata built state buses in India\’s Maharashtra state were till recently of identical appearance. © s. shankar
- A sturdy Maharashtra State rural Tata bus goes about its duties in lush green rain soaked rural countryside near the Western Indian city of Pune. © s. shankar
- Since 2007, the PMPML municipal bus authority in Pune has been putting into service some semi low floor Ashok Leyland buses, of which this one rests between duties outside a depot. Newer versions of these buses are CNG driven and are painted half green. © s. shankar
- A Tata city bus in Pune A local PMPML Pune Muncipal Tata 1510 city bus with a modified front end awaits its duties in the congested old part of the city. © s. shankar
- Long distance overnight bus services are big business in India. Here a modified Tata bus prepares to leave Pune for a destination in Western India. © s. shankar
- The PMPML Pune Municipality transport authority has been running Pune city tour buses for some time now. Here is a head on view of one of these tour buses, Tata built, about to leave the Deccan Gymkhana bus terminal in Pune in 2007. © s. shankar
- A complimentary coach for the Kingfisher/ Simplifly Deccan airline in India. This is an Eicher built bus pictured at the Bangalore airport in 2008. Eicher was until very recently a bulder of LCVs and light buses, but is now taking its act more seriously and is building heavy duty trucks and full sized buses, including an Isuzu rear engine bus. © s. shankar
- Mumbai BEST local buses Ashok Leyland buses plying Mumbai(Bombay) roads © BEST
- A well worn Tata bus leaves the Esplanade bus terminus in Calcutta (Kolkata) for its destination. (May 2009). The city still uses rather primitive body design for its city buses. Note the decorative but dimunitive windows, flat window bar (most have two, this one has only one, allowing for some visibility) and holes on and around the grille of the vehicle. Most of the buses have wooden bodywork on the inside, and parallel to the wall bench type seating. © s. shankar
- A thoroughly battered Tata bus that has seen better days arrives at the Esplanade bus station in Calcutta (Kolkata) in May 2009. Note the CTC letters on the bus, meaning that this bus is operated by the Calcutta Tramways Corporation. Consequent to curtailment of tram services in some of the most heavily congested areas in the city, the CTC operates an alternate bus service in place of the displaced trams. Good move, if only the buses were not as battered as the elderly trams! © s. shankar
- An Ashok Leyland bus operated by the Calcutta Tramways Corporation (CTC) near the Birla Planetarium in Calcutta (Kolkata) in May 2009. This bus is in a much better condition than the battered Tata bus uploaded earlier. It is very rare to see Ashok Leyland buses on the city network in Calcutta, which is almost exclusively Tata territory. These CTC operated buses run on former tram routes when the lines were taken off in some of the most heavily congested ares of the city. © s. shankar
- One of Calcutta (Koklata)\’s ubiqitous maroon/ yellow \’mini\’ buses. These operated a intra-city local service parallel to the regular service by the blue-yellow buses. Though a tad faster than the regular city buses, mini bus drivers are known for their suicidal tendencies. Many of the buses are battered tin cans, as is the case with a majority of buses in Calcutta. (May 2009). © s. shankar
- Another of the suicidal ‘mini’ buses in Calcutta (Kolkata) speeds over tram tracks near Esplanade. (May 2009). The fuzzy image is due to motion blur (and not camera shake) as the bloke was doing much more than the 40kmph advertises on his front bumper. © s. shankar
- Another rare Ashok Leyland city bus in Calcutta (Kolkata), May 2009. This one is running past the Birla Planetarium to the distant suburb of Santragachi. Taken on contract from the private company Whiteliners, the service is operated by the West Bengal State Transport Corporation (WBSTC). © s. shankar
- The British era building of the Calcutta (Kolkata) Municipal Corporation looms large as two city buses rumble past. (May 2009). Note primitive style body work of the buses. Tiny side windows with palace window styling apart, the interiors feature wood work and bench type parallel to the wall seats. Many of the buses have extended rear bumpers, some even with spare wheel fitted on the rear face. © s. shankar
- A Calcutta (Kolkata)city bus skows down to pick up passengers at the Birla Planetarium stop. (May 2009). Primitive body work aside, the city has a comprehensive, extensive and very frequent bus service. Overcrowding is not as rampant as in other Indian cities due to the availability of other modes of transit like the metro, suburban trains, mini buses and trams. The fuzzy facade is more due to a large aperture due to the fading evening light and motion blur rather than due to camera shake. © s. shankar
- The 10 seater Tata Winger is a new product from the Indian builder Tata Motors. It is gaining popularity in, among other versions, this micro bus version, used by private operators all over India. Tata Wingers are also used as public transport in the extremely hilly areas in Eastern India. This specimen, shot in May 2009, is taking a breather at a pit stop at Lonavla, near Pune (Poona) in Western India. © s. shankar
- The scope for operating full sized buses is extremely limited in the Eastern Indian state of Sikkim, thanks to the Himalayan mountain terrain and narrow roads. The micro bus or \’Jeep\’ is king here. Nonetheless, the state bus company, Sikkim Nationalized Transport, runs a limited fleet of small sized buses wherever possible under the catch name \’Red Panda Express\’. This Eicher bus is bound for the Sikkimese capital of Gangtok from the West Bengal- Sikkim border. (May 2009). Tata and Eicher are the two most popular and almost ubiquitous makes of bus in Sikkim, with Ashok Leyland being almost non existant. © s. shankar
- A Tata 709 bus with a modified front end run as part of the Red Panda Express service of the Sikkim Nationalized Transport readies to leave the West Bengal- Sikkim border for the Sikkimese capital Gangtok. (May 2009). With the might Himalayan terrain and narrow roads, the scope for running buses in Sikkim is very limited indeed. © s. shankar
- With the scope for running full sized buses being very limited in the Eastern Indian state of Sikkim, thanks to the mighty Himalayan terrain coupled with narrow, winding roads, the Mahindra \’Jeep\’ is king there. This unit, which regularly runs a Pelling to Siliguri service has been chartered by a hotel to pick up some guests. (May 2009). Note destination board fitted behind the windshields. These vehicles seat about 12 passengers in a tight squeeze. Other popular makes of vehicle there are Tata Sumo and Chevrolet Travera. Although these buses run a comprehensive local service between towns in the area, some bear the \’Taxi\’ sign on the roof. Thankfully, this Mahindra unit does not.
© s. shankar - The local \’bus station\’ in Gangtok, in Sikkim, Eastern India. Most of the \’buses\’ are actually SUV style vehicles, each carrying about 12 passengers or more, in a fairly tight squeeze. Mahindra is king, though one can also find a sprinkling of Tata Sumo, Tata Winger and Chevrolet Travera vehicles. (May 2009). Mahindras with more basic styling (canvas top, swinging half doors on the sides etc.) provide a comprehensive local bus service as well. © s. shankar
- An old Tata bus dating back from the late 1970s is now used as a school bus in Durgapur, near Calcutta, India. It is extremely rare to find such elderly vehicles elsewhere in India, thanks to the Government\’s drastic drive to reduce air pollution levels by doing away with vehicles over 25 years old. I was quite lucky to spot this specimen in May 2009. © s. shankar
- A Eicher bus run by the South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC) coasts past the Durgapur City Centre in Durgapur (near Calcutta) in Eastern India. © s. shankar
- A rather battered privately owned Mahindra Tourister mini bus forms the Prantika to Durgapur local service in Durgapur, near Calcutta, Eastern India (May 2009). The \’Shatabdi\’ on the side of the bus is named after a series of what is considered the fastest day trains in India. True to their name, many of these mini bus drivers tend to hae suicidal tendencies, though this particular fellow was coasting at a fairly leisurely pace!
© s. shankar - Two Tata 709 buses await their passengers at Durgapur railway station. They are bound for the shoppping street of Benachity in the city. (May 2009). Both buses are privately owned. Durgapur is a small town near Calcutta in Eastern India and is known for its massive steel works.
© s. shankar - Seen here are two buses of the Maharashtra State Road Transp. Corpn. outside the depot in the western Indian city of Pune. (Poona). The red-cream on on the left is one of the rather rough and ready rural buses. The white and green one behind is is termed as \’semi luxury\’ with 2×2 non-reclining seats, used for intercity express traffic. Although this concept was introduced in 1982 during the 9th Asiad games, these buses are still referred to as \’Asiad\’ by the local populace after all these 27 years. © s. shankar
- A line of Maharashtra State long distance buses in varying stages of readiness for departure at the bus station in the western Indian city of Pune (Poona) in 2007. A mix of Tata and Ashok Leyland, all these vehicles are of the rough and ready rural bus variety. © s. shankar
- A Maharashtra State bus rather garishly decorated for a local festival, seen here readying for departure in a bus station in the western Indian city of Pune (Poona). Although State owned, the crew in some of the smaller outstation depots bestow a lot of love and care for the buses under their care. This bus is hence not from the Pune division, but rather has come in from one of the smaller depots. © s. shankar
- A slice of history preserved: this is one of the first city buses to run in the Southern Indian metropolis Bangalore. This is a tractor- trailer version with a Ford haulage unit. (dated in the 1940s, shot in 2005). This unit is preserved outside the Majestic bus station in Bangalore, though the livery has changed over the years. Its current livery is blood red. The livery this unit actually bore while in service is not known. © s. shankar
- A well loaded Tata passes through Connaught Circus in New Delhi. © Alan E Moore
- A CNG driven Ashok Leyland bus of the municipal PMPML bus authority leaves the depot to commence its duties for the day in the Western Indian city of Pune (Poona, Oct.2009). © s. shankar
- Some of the newer CNG buses in the western Indian city of Pune (Poona) sport a snazzy white- green livery. One such Ashok Leyland unit negotiates a street intersection in Oct. 2009. © s. shankar
- One of the rare Tata buses of the municipalized BEST authority of Mumbai (Bombay) in Western India, Oct. 2009. This Tata unit is CNG driven, denoted by the green patch below the windshield, and is on its routine run outside Chembur suburban train station. © s. shankar
- A green air con Volvo bus side by side with a conventional non air con Tata take a breather at a pit stop between the Western Indian megapolises of Mumbai (Bombay) and Pune (Poona), Oct. 2009. Volvos have caught on in a big way on long distance bus travel in India. Both these units are operated by the Maharashtra State Transport authority. The dusty rose colour of the Tata unit denotes that it is CNG driven. © s. shankar
- A privately operated Tata bus makes a pit stop between the Western Indian megapolises of Mumbai (Bombay) and Pune (Poona) while passengers tuck in on refreshments bought at the nearby food mall. In the background is a conventional Tata semi luxury bus in the typical green white livery of the Maharashtra State Transport authority, also making a pit stop at this spot. © s. shankar
- A privately owned Ashok Leyland tries to pass off for a Volvo (note slash logo on the front grille) in the Western Indian city of Pune (Poona), Oct. 2009. Volvos have revolutionalized inter city express buss travel in India, so much so that smaller operators build Volvo- like bus bodies on traditional Tata or Ashok Leyland chassis and try to pass them off as Volvos to gullible passengers. This unit has just returned from an overnight trip and will probably rest till the evening before its return trip. © s. shankar
- KOLKATA\’S NEW SEMI LOW FLOOR CITY BUS. ©RIK CHATTERJEE
- SEMI LOW FLOOR CITY BUS WITH FRONT ENGINE, MADE BY TATA MOTORS OPERATING IN KOLKATA ©RIK CHATTERJEE
- A VOLVO PUBLIC BUS IN KOLKATA AT ESPLANADE BUS STAND. ©RIK CHATTERJEE
- TATA Marcopolo on a road in New Delhi © Uthpala Dilhan
- The Front view of TATA Marcopolo AC Bus © Uthpala Dilhan
- Passengers rush to clamber onto a well worn Ashok Leyland bus bound for the Southern Indian city of Chennai (Madras) from Puducherry (Pondicherry): May 2010. The \’ECR\’ on the destination board indicates that the bus will take the East Coast Route. © s. shankar
- Back in the 1980s, four major LCV manufacturers from Japan (Mazda, Mistubishi, Toyota and Nissan) collaborated with four different Indian companies to build light trucks in India. After the agreement ended, the counterparts of Toyota and Nissan stopped building mini trucks, but Mazda and Mitsubishi\’s ex-partners still continue to build vehicles. (the latter under the \’Eicher\’ badge). Swaraj Mazda stopped building trucks, but still builds light buses. This is one of their vehicles, configured as a school bus, in the Western Indian megapolis of Pune (Poona), in May 2010. © s. shankar
- A smartly turned out and pristine Eicher tourist bus is parked in the premises of a wayside motel near Puducherry (Pondicherry) in Southern India, May 2010. Owned by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, the bodywork is by Sutlej, a famous company that builds luxury bus bodies in Northern India. © s. shankar
- The Indian company Bajaj Tempo (now Force Motors) has long been building knock-off Mercedes buses under the \’Tempo Traveler\’ badge. Here is one of these buses, configured as a school bus, in the Western Indian megapolis of Pune (Poona), May 2010. © s. shankar
- Just before Mercedes set up their own truck building business near Pune (Poona) in Western India, Bajaj Tempo (now Force Motors) later re-designed the frontage of their Traveller, and this is the result. This new ‘Force’ Traveller is seen here in Pune (Poona), Western India, May 2010.
© s. shankar - Mahindra is an Indian company long known for its line of sturdy \’Jeep\’ style SUVs. The company has recently diversified into building cars and light buses, which is the fairly popular Mahindra Tourister range. One of these is pictured here in the Western Indian megapolis of Pune (Poona), May 2010. © s. shankar
- In order to offset a shortage in the fleet, the Western Indian city of Pune (Poona)\’s municipalized city transport utility, the PMPML has started hiring buses from private companies. This is a hired Tata bus with a snazzy front end, doing a fairly good speed, in May 2010. (softness due to motion blur, exposure problem due to the use of a very basic camera). © s. shankar
- Back in 2007, the western Indian city Pune (Poona)\’s municipalized city transport utility, the PMPML had introduced CNG driven buses as a \’going green\’ venture. These buses wore a snazzy white livery then. Two of these buses are pictured here, in May 2010, well worn, but still maintaining the white livery. These buses are awaiting duties outside the bus depot. © s. shankar
- Ashok Leyland near Pondicherry. Bearing typical bodywork of Southern India, this Ashok Leyland is seen here in May 2010 on a run between the Southern Indian cities of Cuddalore and Chennai (Madras). © s. shankar
- Chennai – Transport Bus Long Distance luxury transport bus. © Volvo
- Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation TNSTC operates Volvo air conditioned buses © TNSTC
- Here is a Matador mini school bus parked on the roadside while the driver has probably gone off to fetch some breakfast. Based on an old German Tempo Matador design, these poorly engineered, positively rickety vehicles ruled the roost on Indian roads, thanks to their low cost and non availability of alternatives. The model has mercifully now been discontinued, but you do see a handful of such vehicles (also avaialble then in a short wheelbase version and in other forms like pick up, delivery van etc.) Location: the Western Indian city of Pune (Poona), India, July 2011.
© s. shankar - A Tata Marcopolo (Tata bus with bodywork by Marcopolo) followed by another one on the Pune- Mumbai (Poona- Bombay) road at Pune (Poona) in Western India. These white-baby pink buses are rather controversial. The PMPML local bus authorities in Pune are in the process of installing several BRTS (Bus Rapid Transit System) dedicated bus corridors in the Western Indian city of Pune. Due to the haphazard, erratic and sloppy implementation, there is much opposition, but the project is going ahead anyway. These buses are supposed to be first in a series of many to have entrance doors on both sides, as all stops come to the left while going and to the right while coming. Mired in controversy, the first batch of 25 buses finally arrived, of which these two are part. They are not running on the BRTS route though, as it is not yet ready. Simi low floor and with LED distination display, the LED displays have are not is use here, as long as the buses are serving non BRTS routes. Pune (Poona), India, July 2011. © s. shankar
- Mercedes Benz make, intercity coach Prasanna Travels Nagpur © Prasanna
- Tata Marcopolo Starbus ultra of Kadamba Goa ©Mackvin Fernandes
- school bus for ferrying children in dt. kangra himachal © ashwini kumar
- Techno Astro Kerala stage carriers manufactured by Techno Automotives, Chennai ©Aydin
- Techno Astro Built by Techno Automotive Engineers, chennai © Harisree logistics
- Old CWN make MSRTC bus repainted original was with HVPS Amravati Maharashtra ©Satish Madiwale
- Old CWN make MSRTC bus repaint to refresh old memories with white band. ©Satish Madiwale
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