India has an extraordinary public transport system, with
buses and trains connecting just about every city. But they all have their
positives and negatives.
Trains
POSITIVES: Very smooth ride, once the train gets going, and faster than buses. I also love gazing out the window or standing in an open doorway, seeing the world go by. Tatkal ticket scheme helps get tickets the day before travel.
NEGATIVES: Longer trains are almost always late. If an overnight train is only one hour late, I consider that on time. For popular or longer routes, it’s hard to get day-of tickets unless a travel agent can handle things or you go to the train station (where you’ll only get general seating—shudder. If you can’t get a seat in second seating, it’s completely miserable).
WORST TRAIN EXPERIENCE: Once I waited more than 3.5 hours for the Kalka Mail. I told myself I wouldn’t lie on the ground like everyone does, but after yet another delay, I succumbed, spreading my thin airline blanket on the floor. It was after 1 am. I put on my headphones and read my Lonely Planet in a dream-like state. I was at the part about India being crazy for cricket when I heard a cheerful roar go through the station. I immediately thought, “Did India beat Pakistan in the cricket?!?!” I asked someone, “Why is everyone cheering?” He announced, “The Kalka Mail has arrived!”
Public buses
POSITIVES: Almost always leave on time. Often have one leave every hour to major cities, creating plenty of last-minute options.
NEGATIVES: They’re bumpy, lack AC, and if you don’t get one of the Super Fast buses, they make multiple stops to pick up more passengers. They’re also more expensive than trains, which boggles the mind. Oh, and winding mountain roads can be downright scary because of how close the driver is willing to get to the edge (there’s nothing between the bus and a 100-foot cliff except a two-foot-high barrier). I was standing at the front of one bus and when the driver looked like we were going to hit the barrier, I literally squatted and whimpered, unwilling to see us go over. “Just don’t look. It’s better if you don’t look,” my sister said.
WORST PUBLIC BUS EXPERIENCE: I took the overnight bus from the hills of Shimla to Delhi. After an hour of winding round and round the mountain, my seatmate threw up in the aisle. He motioned to me to trade seats so he could get fresh air from the window and I complied. Only after we switched did I realize he hadn’t quite missed the seat.
Private/tourist buses
POSITIVES: More comfortable than public buses. You can pay more for AC or a sleeper for overnight buses. Also conducive to last-minute bookings (I once booked a bus an hour before it was to leave).
NEGATIVES: Considering you’re paying so much more than for a public bus, the service isn’t THAT much greater. Some lines still make multiple stops to pick up stray passengers, instead of just going from A to Z as promised. Also, they don’t have many for short distances.
WORST PRIVATE BUS EXPERIENCE: Even though my ticket clearly stated that I had a single sleeper, the man who took my ticket wouldn’t return it and gave me another sleeper instead—a double, with my bedmate a random American guy (who also was supposed to have a single seat). I blew up, declaring, “I’m not sleeping next to some man I don’t know!” Truth be told, I didn’t care (as I told Zach later), but I was angry because they would NEVER make an Indian women sleep next to a man she didn’t know, and I was annoyed by the assumption that I wouldn’t mind (even if it was true). Later, Zach and I learned a man had used our bed to illegally smuggle liquor out of Goa, where the liquor is cheap. I think he was using the cover of foreigners to do it. I felt like Maria, full of grace.
Trains
POSITIVES: Very smooth ride, once the train gets going, and faster than buses. I also love gazing out the window or standing in an open doorway, seeing the world go by. Tatkal ticket scheme helps get tickets the day before travel.
NEGATIVES: Longer trains are almost always late. If an overnight train is only one hour late, I consider that on time. For popular or longer routes, it’s hard to get day-of tickets unless a travel agent can handle things or you go to the train station (where you’ll only get general seating—shudder. If you can’t get a seat in second seating, it’s completely miserable).
WORST TRAIN EXPERIENCE: Once I waited more than 3.5 hours for the Kalka Mail. I told myself I wouldn’t lie on the ground like everyone does, but after yet another delay, I succumbed, spreading my thin airline blanket on the floor. It was after 1 am. I put on my headphones and read my Lonely Planet in a dream-like state. I was at the part about India being crazy for cricket when I heard a cheerful roar go through the station. I immediately thought, “Did India beat Pakistan in the cricket?!?!” I asked someone, “Why is everyone cheering?” He announced, “The Kalka Mail has arrived!”
Public buses
POSITIVES: Almost always leave on time. Often have one leave every hour to major cities, creating plenty of last-minute options.
NEGATIVES: They’re bumpy, lack AC, and if you don’t get one of the Super Fast buses, they make multiple stops to pick up more passengers. They’re also more expensive than trains, which boggles the mind. Oh, and winding mountain roads can be downright scary because of how close the driver is willing to get to the edge (there’s nothing between the bus and a 100-foot cliff except a two-foot-high barrier). I was standing at the front of one bus and when the driver looked like we were going to hit the barrier, I literally squatted and whimpered, unwilling to see us go over. “Just don’t look. It’s better if you don’t look,” my sister said.
WORST PUBLIC BUS EXPERIENCE: I took the overnight bus from the hills of Shimla to Delhi. After an hour of winding round and round the mountain, my seatmate threw up in the aisle. He motioned to me to trade seats so he could get fresh air from the window and I complied. Only after we switched did I realize he hadn’t quite missed the seat.
Private/tourist buses
POSITIVES: More comfortable than public buses. You can pay more for AC or a sleeper for overnight buses. Also conducive to last-minute bookings (I once booked a bus an hour before it was to leave).
NEGATIVES: Considering you’re paying so much more than for a public bus, the service isn’t THAT much greater. Some lines still make multiple stops to pick up stray passengers, instead of just going from A to Z as promised. Also, they don’t have many for short distances.
WORST PRIVATE BUS EXPERIENCE: Even though my ticket clearly stated that I had a single sleeper, the man who took my ticket wouldn’t return it and gave me another sleeper instead—a double, with my bedmate a random American guy (who also was supposed to have a single seat). I blew up, declaring, “I’m not sleeping next to some man I don’t know!” Truth be told, I didn’t care (as I told Zach later), but I was angry because they would NEVER make an Indian women sleep next to a man she didn’t know, and I was annoyed by the assumption that I wouldn’t mind (even if it was true). Later, Zach and I learned a man had used our bed to illegally smuggle liquor out of Goa, where the liquor is cheap. I think he was using the cover of foreigners to do it. I felt like Maria, full of grace.
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