Launched by the Blue Hill Group, promoters of the ‘Nilgiris Supermarket Chain’, the Luxuria is a first of its kind premium, super-luxury intercity bus service. The bus has been built on a multi-axle Volvo platform and designed by the Ace automobile designer Mr. Dilip Chhabria.
Mr. Prabhu Ramachandran, Director, Blue Hill Group, said: “Luxuria is a novel concept for travel in India. We believe that there is a major need gap for luxury surface travel connecting the main cities of the country. India now has an upwardly mobile population who is our major target audience. We believe that we have the first mover advantage in this category and in the next three years we plan to expand our services to other major cities in the country.”
He further added: “Nilgiris Supermarket Chain was the first self-service supermarket in India and pioneered the concept of retail shopping experience in the country. Luxuria, we believe will be a true trend setter in travel in India. The designs of the buses are a true embodiment of style by Dilip Chhabria and will become a benchmark in travel”.
Luxuria is a 21 seater luxury coach built on a multi-axle Volvo chassis which normally comes with 53 seats. So you can just imagine the space around each seat. It comes with a high-grade leather reclining seats with electronically operated calf support. The bus offers entertainment on board with individual drop-down screens for each seat, which plays movies and music on demand, plus all the TV channels that you normally watch at home. Added to this is internet connectivity. The entire bus is wi-fi enabled which makes it very convenient for business travellers.
An important issue for bus travellers is availability of good food enroute. We still don’t have well-developed restaurants on the highways in India. On-board Luxuria, you are very served good, hygienic food. The bus also comes with other features like toilets, refrigerator and microwave. Lastly, there is even an in-bus magazine, like an in-flight magazine.
The Blue Hill Group has initially invested Rs. 30 crores for 12 buses and the plan is to invest Rs. 450 crores in the next seven years with a fleet size of 250 buses.
According to Mr. Pankaj Rampal, COO, Blue Hill Logistics P. Ltd.: “These ultra-luxury buses are targeted at air travellers. The buses are designed to give business class and first class luxury and comforts at far lower prices.
Luxuria has been initially launched in the Bangalore – Chennai – Bangalore sector and the group is planning to launch similar service across India, particularly for shorter routes where the travel time is not more than 6 to 7 hours.
Luxuria, has opened a new chapter in luxury bus travel. The cost of travel from Bangalore to Chennai is Rs. 1,800, which is half the cost of air travel and three times the cost of a ticket on a regular Volvo service. I tried online for the tickets and was pleasantly surprised to see the buses running full. It clearly shows there is a demand for such service and travellers are prepared to pay the price for a comfortable and luxurious experience.
