SRM Transports, a prominent operator of the Chennai-based SRM Group, was founded in 1999 by Mr. Ravi Pachamoothoo, Chairman. The company has grown from strength to strength under his able guidance by focusing on quality maintenance in the field of passenger transport and logistics service. Its customers’ confidence is reflected in the fact that almost 1.25 lakh passengers travel by SRM buses every month.
We spoke to Mr. Vivek Sivaraman, CEO, SRM Transports, to discuss his company’s plans for the coming years and expectations from the government to achieve its targets. Says Mr. Sivaraman: “Our focus is on two segments – logistics and passenger transportation. In the logistics segment we are going to significantly expand pan-India. We are trying to focus on hyper-local markets where we see huge potential in the next four years. As a single entity and a one-stop service for all goods and services, we also aim to grow four folds in this segment. By 2020, our goal is to have 150 logistics vehicles in our fleet. With respect to passenger segment we are trying to create four hubs across South India and increase our fleet size by about 50% from the current levels. We plan to can achieve all this by adopting newer technologies like IOT and raise the bar in security, value-added features and enhance the overall passenger experience.”
From an industry perspective, Mr. Sivaraman says, private transporters expect more support from the government. There is a lot of tax variation across states when it comes to passenger segment which is the biggest challenge the segment faces unlike for goods which has a single national permit and tax structure.
“Only with the support of the Government will we be able to strengthen our operations. There needs to be policy changes to benefit us, especially since majority of the players in South India are private ones. If the taxes are less we do not have to burden the passengers and permit costs would also come down. The entire structure should be made simple and that would make the passenger experience a whole lot better. We will then be able to focus on quality and also introduce better technology”, adds Mr. Sivaraman.
Top priorities
In the passenger segment, SRM Transports caters to all segments – AC, non-AC, multi-axle semi-sleeper, multi-axle sleeper and regular sleeper, offering a complete bouquet of services to satisfy passengers’ needs. As part of its 2020 vision, SRM will focus on introducing the latest technology and value-added features for passengers, expand its fleet and route coverage, and step up focus on man-power training.
“We are planning to partner with our University to bring in more training programs, develop skilled manpower and make the segment more organized than what it is today. Above all, our top-most priority is satisfaction of our customers and their feedback. We have introduced courses for drivers at our University (Vadapalani campus), with focus on essential aspects such as how to handle customers. While we are one of the very few operators to have a 24/7 call centre, all our buses are GPS-enabled and SMS alerts are sent to passengers to enable them track important information such bus location, arrival time, departure time, etc.”, reveals the CEO.
SRM Transports also has its own bus body building facility where most of its new buses are built. The venture, called SRM Auto Tec, is driven by a dedicated team of experienced people from the industry and, apart from catering to SRM’s requirements, builds bus bodies for outside customers too. SRM Auto Tec has a design team comprising experts from Finland and targets rolling-out three vehicles per day with a completely systemized production facility in future.