Buses emerge as preferred transportation in H'bad, B'lore

By Vishwanath Pilla and Gautam Srinivasan, CNBC-TV18

As airfares continue to rise and airlines cut down routes in the south, one industry is driving away with a windfall and that is bus operators. Buses are emerging the preferred choice of transport between Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Hyderabad and Bangalore are the two cities which have their new international airports at the outskirts. This means that people who are flying from either city have to take into consideration additonal hours and an additional cost and add to that the rising airfares. Airlines are like the last option for the average commuter, especially between Hyderabad and Bangalore. These commuters are turning to the easier and more humble option - the Volvo bus.

Hari, a commuter, said, "I frequently travel to Bangalore. After opening of new airports in the two cities, I believe bus travel is more feasible and practical because of the time involved and the money you have to spend on air travel."

Buses take the fast lane

Typically, bus travel between the two cities takes 9-10 hours at a cost of Rs 750. Bus operators seem to have latched on to the new drive. Currently, 80 bus services including 45 Volvo buses ply between Hyderabad and Bangalore. To service the growing demand, operators are planning to increase the frequency of their routes.

APSRTC or the Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation will soon be launching four Volvo buses to Bangalore.

Dinesh Reddy, Vice Chairman, APSRTC said, "After the airports shifted, people prefer surface transport. We are seeing more patronage for bus travel. In that regard, we want to capture travelers who otherwise travel on air through our Volvo services." Bus major Volvo is likely to benefit, it has already bagged orders over 300 buses from the Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh combine.

Akash Passey, MD, Volvo Bus India, said, "With airports coming outside the city it's a very good opportunity for Volvo. It will be challenging for low cost airlines to operate at low distance. But it adds to the bus business."

It seems like the new airports seems to be benefitting the bus industry.