The  Times of India          27.09.2010

KOLKATA: The city may well be able to carry on with celebrations beyond the festive season. After Volvo hit the roads to pamper residents, earlier jostling for space in rickety and rundown buses, a number of private operators are now vying for Mercedes buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission ( JNNURM) to give people a smooth ride after Puja.

The success of Volvo operations in the city has apparently accentuated this sudden enthusiasm for Mercedes buses. Stating that they had received a number of proposals from private operators to run Mercedes buses in public-private partnership, transport minister Ranjit Kundu added, "We have already struck a deal with Daimler Chrysler India Limited (DCIL), the manufacturer of the vehicle,"

The Volvo experiment has reportedly shattered many myths, the biggest being a dearth of takers for the luxury bus. On the contrary, Volvo services have made many car owners shun their vehicles for a bus ride to their workplace or airport. "A clean, air-conditioned public transport is any day a much better option than taking your car to burn expensive fuel while negotiating the chaos on road," said Pratik Chakraborty, who takes the Volvo to his VIP Road business-outlet from Deshopriya Park.

The Volvo experiment is all set to be replicated with the 45-seater Merc coach which comes with fire-retardant upholstery, LCD screen, laptop-charging point, temperature control, seats with mechanical reclining, ample leg room and a unique suspension system that allows the driver to lift the floor height of the vehicle up to six inches to ensure a smooth ride on bumpy roads.

"The more the merrier. If one bus can replaces ten cars, what else is required. This will take increasing traffic pressure off the roads, reduce fuel-consumption and thus diminish emission and ensure a safe journey," said Dinesh Mohan, transport expert from IIT- Delhi, one of the biggest propagator of bus-rapid transit system.

At present there are five service centres for Merc buses in the south and the west but none in the east. A Merc bus bears a price tag of Rs 85-90 lakh against Rs 82 lakh for a Volvo in Kolkata. The German company expects the demand for high-end buses to grow with the improved road network in the country and increasing need for efficient public transport systems.