This was perhaps the most sought-after display product at Prawaas 2019 which visitors flocked to. For all the three days of the expo, hundreds of visitors came to the JCBL pavilion, only to get a glimpse of this industry-defining product that is trying to expand horizons of ‘luxury’ inside a bus. In other words, this is the ‘destiny’ of premium bus travel in the segment.
“The basic idea that goes behind the conception of the ‘Destiny’ is that luxury in buses is not something that is set apart and beyond general affordability. All levels of luxury akin to any other means of travel are possible in buses as well, in India”, declared Mr. Rajinder Aggarwal, Chairman and MD, JCBL Group, the man who devoted himself wholly into the making of this bus right from the drawing board to the final touches of aesthetic embellishments.
The JCBL Destiny is a super-luxurious seater-cum-sleeper coach built on the popular BharatBenz 16T bus chassis. It boasts 9 business class executive seats in the first half of the saloon, and 18 reclining berths in the other half – all ergonomically designed to provide greater comfort and relaxation with electronically-enabled seat or berth recline. Personalised comfort to passengers is of prime importance in this coach, with each executive seat geared with 19-inch LED touchscreen entertainment system with headphones, USB charging point, and customized sliding table.
The sleeper berth, on the other hand, is furnished with sliding blinds for privacy instead of curtains. Spacious berths do features reading lamps and entertainment systems, along with a call bell with indication. The aisle is well lit even in the dark, which also has shoe racks for the ease of passengers. For their safety, the bus comes installed with three CCTV cameras. The driver cabin is spaciously conceptualised, with the pneumatic doors on both the sides designed to open backwards. There is also a small cooler and snacks compartment to store drinks and refreshments.
Apart from all the utility bits, the saloon of the Destiny coach is aesthetically redefined with the embellishment of pale golden-yellow lighting and brass trims, right from the door knob to seat or berth numbering, giving a classic impression and soothing feel of being inside a late 19th century train from Austria!
“This product is a standing testimony to the fact that any levels of luxury combined with innovative aesthetics can be executed inside a coach. We see the Destiny as a demonstrator of our state-of-the-art design and engineering abilities that sets new benchmarks as is the case with any of our new product”, claimed Ms. Aarti Aggarwal, Director – JCBL Group, an interior designer by profession who devoted herself to the artistic sprucing up of the coach by passion.
The Destiny is the second coach built on the BharatBenz chassis by the renowned coach manufacturer, the first one being a sleeper coach launched a couple of years ago. “Being in the space of manufacturing luxury buses for three decades, the Destiny is designed and manufactured after extensive research and post numerous customer insights that indicated a need for such a vehicle”, observed Mr. Aggarwal. “With our pan-India marketing presence, we are hoping to register good sales numbers with this one too, as the inter-city bus travel is fast picking up, while also getting more premium and luxurious.”