The oldest running Volvo bus service operator in Northeast India, John Travels, on Saturday inaugurated two new Volvo B-11R multi-axle I-Shift coaches. With this, John Travels became the first private bus operator from the Northeast region to start state-of-the-art multi-axle coach service. The company has invested around Rs 2.8 crores to procure the buses and start their inaugural run under ASTC as PoB from Saturday.

The buses were officially flagged off by Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) managing director Anand Prakash Tiwari, from ASTC, Paltan Bazaar.

Commenting on the service, Tiwari said: “I am happy to flag off the first ASTC PoB multi-axle Volvo service today. Since January this year, ASTC has started super luxury services to various places in Assam under PPP model. These services enable the people of Assam and the northeast to travel comfortably across the length and breadth of the state. ASTC welcomes more operators to start similar luxury services.”

The Volvo B11R I-Shift multi-axle service by John Travels will run from ISBT Guwahati to Digboi. The overnight journey of around 500 kms will be completed in around 9-10 hours. “We are proud to introduce the all new multi-axle John Travels Volvo service in Assam. With this, we are focusing on luxurious travel along with additional offerings like back/neck cushion, leg rest pillow etc. which are not yet available in the sector,” said John Travels owner Pranjal Dutta at the inauguration of the multi-axle John Volvo service. He also added that the company has started a Volvo daily night service between Tinsukia/Dibrugarh and Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati.

ASTC managing director Anand Prakash Tiwari along with John Travels owner Pranjal Dutta 2 – The News Mill
ASTC managing director Anand Prakash Tiwari along with John Travels owner Pranjal Dutta

Besides leg rest pillow and neck cushions, the new multi-axle John Volvo is decked up with comfortable seats which are larger and higher in size than the regular seats. Also, the 2×2 seating pattern promises more leg space for a comfortable journey. John Volvo will offer complementary water bottles, is equipped with two television sets, switch panels to alert bus conductors, mobile charging USB points at each row, fire extinguisher and other state-of-the-art facilities for the travellers.

“John Volvo service started in 2011 and since then we are continuously serving our guests. The Guwahati-Digboi John Volvo service has since been considered as one of the best comfortable service in the region. With the Volvo multi-axle buses, we intend to raise the bar,” added Dutta.

Dutta’s company John Travels, which already has a fleet of 4 Volvo B7R Mark 3 CRDI coaches in the premium segment, has invested around Rs 2.8 crores to start the Volvo B11R multi-axle service in Assam. Dutta, who has been in the bus business since 1997, started John Travels in 2005. He introduced his first Volvo service between Guwahati and Digboi in 2011 and since then this was the only running Volvo service in the entire Northeast region.

Tickets for the multi-axle John Volvo service and other services from John Travels are available at their ASTC counters in Digboi, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Nagaon and Guwahati. Also, the tickets are available online through redbus.in.

Commenting on the bus scene of the region, Dutta said that he is very excited to see the number of service to the interiors of the region. “I am happy that with the betterment of the roads, we are able to reach to the last mile. Besides, better roads enable us to start luxury services. We hope that the NH widening project is completed soon to aid us to offer even better service. There are a lot of plans, I hope to be able to reveal the same in the near future,” he added.

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The News Mill is a Guwahati-based digital media with focus on content from across Northeast India and beyond. We can be reached through [email protected]