India by bus, is it real?

[IOP]

I see that www.redbus.in has good deals, may I trust it? Do you use it in India?
Our initial plan: fly to Mumbai for a couple of days, take a but and go to Bangalore after that shift to Chennai and fly back to Singapore.
Will this work for us? Does India have good roads to travel between major cities? Will it be safe for 2 whites to travel like this?

Thanks.

[zzm9980]

You're nuts. Two white guys? I wouldn't do it with local guides.


No, the roads are not good between the cities. I wouldn't quite say it would be unsafe for two white guys, in the context of physical danger. You might get robbed though, and definitely ripped off. Btw, most Indians outside of major cities (and even in) won't speak enough (or any) English for you to even have basic conversations with. I've been in major cities in India with Indians that spoke English, Hindi, and 2-3 other languages, and still found ourselves i situations where we had people that we couldn't communicate with.

My suggestion is Kingfisher airlines. You want to see the best parts of India? It's on their planes.

[ecureilx]

You're nuts. Two white guys? I wouldn't do it with local guides.


No, the roads are not good between the cities. I wouldn't quite say it would be unsafe for two white guys, in the context of physical danger. You might get robbed though, and definitely ripped off. Btw, most Indians outside of major cities (and even in) won't speak enough (or any) English for you to even have basic conversations with. I've been in major cities in India with Indians that spoke English, Hindi, and 2-3 other languages, and still found ourselves i situations where we had people that we couldn't communicate with.

My suggestion is Kingfisher airlines. You want to see the best parts of India? It's on their planes.

You are kidding right ? which part of Kingfisher being on the verge of bankruptcy, teetering on 'to do or not to do' you missed ?

From 70 or so planes, they are trimmed to 22, even the GDS are on Cash-and-Carry plan.

And their cancellations are horrendous from an airline that won SkyTrax awards et al.

No sir, stay away from IT !!!

In the meantime, my last flight into South India, it was a revelation: a lot of guys are bringing down Saab, MB, Volvo and all such nice busses, like the SIN-KL busses, and are operated efficiently, tracked and is competing with the LCCs - atleast in the south.

And did you say Indians don't speak English ? well, you described North India - North Indians are very pro Hindi, unlike Southerners, who aren't much of language- mafioso ..

Me says to OP - well, since you are heading to BLR and to Chennai, go for it .. the travel from Mumbai to Bangalore is really breathtaking .. Even better if you take the train ..

[JR8]

I cannot really imagine why you'd want to go from Bombay to Madras, and by road.

Rather like traveling to England especially to journey from London to Manchester.

Of all the places you could go, and things you could do, why this of all choices?

(and yes I have traveled from Bombay to Madras via Bangalore, by train. Even 30 years ago I wouldn't have dreamt of of the self-inflected masochism that would be doing it via bus!)

[Asian_Geekette]

I'm now in Mumbai for work and within the city proper, there's a lot of potholes. What more between cities? But of course, there are some major highways... If you can imagine sitting through several hours of mixed smooth rides and bumpy rides, then go for it! Sometimes you gotta experience something different once in your life.

[ecureilx]

... (and yes I have traveled from Bombay to Madras via Bangalore, by train. Even 30 years ago I wouldn't have dreamt of of the
self-inflected masochism that would be doing it via bus!)

to See "Incredible India" in a different way ?

with the recent highways, stops (of course, with fast food / veg burgers and Mac minus beef burger) India is more fun I guess .. or so I think .. though BLR to Chennai maybe a better travel if flown by Spice or Indigo ..

Asian_Geekette: well in India, roads within the city are full of potholes, since they are maintained by the Municipal / town councils, but the long distance highways are in 100 times better shape-something to do with BOT operators of the highways - hence the super clean / carpetted highways ..

[zzm9980]

You're nuts. Two white guys? I wouldn't do it with local guides.


No, the roads are not good between the cities. I wouldn't quite say it would be unsafe for two white guys, in the context of physical danger. You might get robbed though, and definitely ripped off. Btw, most Indians outside of major cities (and even in) won't speak enough (or any) English for you to even have basic conversations with. I've been in major cities in India with Indians that spoke English, Hindi, and 2-3 other languages, and still found ourselves i situations where we had people that we couldn't communicate with.

My suggestion is Kingfisher airlines. You want to see the best parts of India? It's on their planes.

You are kidding right ? which part of Kingfisher being on the verge of bankruptcy, teetering on 'to do or not to do' you missed ?

From 70 or so planes, they are trimmed to 22, even the GDS are on Cash-and-Carry plan.

And their cancellations are horrendous from an airline that won SkyTrax awards et al.

No sir, stay away from IT !!!

In the meantime, my last flight into South India, it was a revelation: a lot of guys are bringing down Saab, MB, Volvo and all such nice busses, like the SIN-KL busses, and are operated efficiently, tracked and is competing with the LCCs - atleast in the south.

And did you say Indians don't speak English ? well, you described North India - North Indians are very pro Hindi, unlike Southerners, who aren't much of language- mafioso ..

Me says to OP - well, since you are heading to BLR and to Chennai, go for it .. the travel from Mumbai to Bangalore is really breathtaking .. Even better if you take the train ..

I just read about the Kingfisher troubles after I made the post. My suggestion was mostly in jest, and primarily because the CEO supposedly "approved" individually of every flight attendant before she could get a job. From my times on Kingfisher, I'd say that was likely the case.

I've spent months in India primarily in a few main cities- Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Mangalore, and Bhubaneswar. Outside of the hotel employees and the people are the bodyshops we work with (Infosys, TCS, Wipro, Satyam), the English is non-existant. In the south most couldn't speak Hindi either.

[ecureilx]

I just read about the Kingfisher troubles after I made the post. My suggestion was mostly in jest, and primarily because the CEO supposedly "approved" individually of every flight attendant before she could get a job. From my times on Kingfisher, I'd say that was likely the case....

That was before VM ventured into F1 and IPL and the glamour of running the airline reduced.

Oh, the joke on the street is that people are eagerly awaiting the next year's KingFisher Calender - should be classy and best, since the airline cannot afford to buy dresses for the models - imagine "MINIMUM CLOTHING"

PST: South India ? I maybe biased, but .. southern Indians, are better in speaking out in English, unlike Northern people who for reasons only known to them frown on English speakers ..

And except in TN, Hindi is taught in schools in south, but, like Northerners refusing to speak English, southerners refuse to speak Hindi, as much as possible .. and prefer to speak English .. some language war there ..

[popeyefan]

I will try to be as genuine and as unbiased as possible , which is a difficult proposition considering the tinge of negativity surrounding my country unluckily . These might serve a advice/warning for people willing to travel to India

*If you are a westerner, the mere sight of you is likely to scale up any associated costs by few times. Be prepared not to be conned. Also be familiar with the approximate prices in Indian Rs before you venture out to purchase it.
*Recognized guides/tourism agencies/hotels should be able to provide package tours. Though coming at a price, it should be safe and a one-stop shop. Stick with them rather than getting swayed by people who talk big and promise bigger things.
*Never travel by buses/private tourist operators unless accompanied by a local or at least recommended/referred through a known contact.
*Avoid taking taxis/auto-rickshaws for commuting within the cities. These days, there are pre-paid taxis (which are regulated) in most cities.
*For long-distance travel, if you are interested in literally seeing the length and breadth of the country, book a ticket in 2ndAC/3rdAC of trains. They are safe, comfortable (Summers can touch 45 degC in many parts of the country. Traveling non-AC or by bus would leave you dead, particularly if you are not accustomed to high temperatures).

[von-mises]

Not sure if you have already taken the trip, but yes redbus.in is a valid website that brings to gather all the private bus services. The travel by road from bangalore ot chenai can be comfortably accomplished in the ac volvo and merc buses which are a luxury by indian standards and of course they are really good. But from mumbai to bangalore you would be better off by either flying or by 2nd ac train ticket. Hope this helps, let me know if you need any info on the south india.

[rajagainstthemachine]

I see that www.redbus.in has good deals, may I trust it? Do you use it in India?
Our initial plan: fly to Mumbai for a couple of days, take a but and go to Bangalore after that shift to Chennai and fly back to Singapore.
Will this work for us? Does India have good roads to travel between major cities? Will it be safe for 2 whites to travel like this?

Thanks.

heres a few things to note, redbus.in is pretty reliable you get good buses from Mumbai to Bangalore the only problem is the travel time which is 24 hours, but the buses have beds but make sure you pick a coach which is a mercedes/volvo bus any other type of bus is very uncomfortable.

Bangalore to chennai is only about 5 hours by bus and for that an airconditioned bus with push back seats is quite all right.

safe for 2 whites? you think India is full of savages waiting to rip apart white people?
Its quite alright to get around but basically you use your common sense where ever you go.
Have fun

protip: I'm from India and I felt unsettled/uneasy visiting Malaysia than I have in India.