‘One travel is enough to judge us’ – how much confidence would it take for a relatively new bus operator to jump into a highly competitive segment with such a tagline. A lot. That’s exactly what Mr. Vignesh Marimuthu, a young and dynamic entrepreneur, has done with Vignesh TAT, a two-year-old bus company headquartered in Chennai. Vignesh TAT came into existence in 2016 and has been very quick off the blocks, growing to a fleet of 50 vehicles within two years. 29-year-old Vignesh is a grounded and hands-on person who has an eye for every minute detail when it comes to running his bus business.
Says Vignesh: “Our family has been into the bus business since the 1950’s. I have been exposed to bus operations and its nuances ever since my school days. My father started running omni buses in 1997 which gave me further experience in the field. In 2016, I started my own company Vignesh TAT and feel very comfortable and happy at work; the passion for running buses runs in our family blood!”
All-sleeper fleet
Vignesh TAT boasts of a unique all-sleeper fleet of 50 vehicles, most of them air-conditioned. The trend is visible – sleeper coaches and air-conditioned vehicles are in very high demand, certainly in the southern part of the country. “Though around 350 sleeper coaches ply in Tamil Nadu, the State currently does not offer sleeper permit, so the existing sleepers run on other-State permits. The TN Government can earn huge amounts of money if it starts offering State permit for sleepers. In addition to the permit revenue, the Government would also be able to collect weekly and monthly taxes from operators. The good news is that this scenario is set to change as the Government plans to introduce sleepers of its own”, states Vignesh.
Vignesh TAT’s fleet comprises seven route buses, seven tour buses and 36 omni buses of which only eight are non-air-conditioned. The operator has found the right partners in Ashok Leyland and BharatBenz from whom it sources its chassis and gets the bus bodies built by Royal Engineering Coach (REC) in Karur for the former chassis and by S.M. Kannappa (Prakash brand) in Bangalore for the latter.
Explaining more about the fleet, he says: “We have four 235 hp BharatBenz buses with bus body built by S.M. Kannappa. The bus body and interiors are completely customized with lots of innovations and minute detailing keeping the passenger comfort & safety in mind. We have 28 Ashok Leyland buses in our fleet with bus body built by REC. We have recently bought MAN multi-axle chassis which are currently at S.M. Kannappa for body building.”
Based on its experience, the company feels BharatBenz buses are really good in terms of oil and diesel consumption. The Telma retarder in its buses have delivered outstanding performance while the suspensions have also impressed a lot with passengers hardly feeling a jerk during braking, speed breakers and turns.
When it comes to ACs, Vignesh TAT has a single vendor – JTAC, whose product performance and proactive service backup have delighted the operator. The operator fits CEAT tyres across all its vehicles and fills in fuel from IOC. Similar to many established fleets, Vignesh TAT has a captive supplier of tyres and fuel as it runs a C&F business for CEAT and also owns an IOC petrol pump at Theni. It also has presence in the food & beverage segment since five years in the name of ‘Coco Jaunt 1728’, a travel theme cafe in Chennai with four shops at present and expanding to Bangalore and Hyderabad by offering franchises.
Vignesh TAT buses can be seen on all major routes within Tamil Nadu with services from Chennai to Tirunelveli, Nagarcoil and Tuticorin particularly popular. Its buses are also becoming a preferred means of travel on the Chennai-Coimbatore route and are certainly gaining more mind space among passengers.
Vignesh TAT receives around 30,000 ticket bookings every month of which a significant share of nearly 40 per cent are women passengers, indicative of the operator’s focus on safety and the good overall experience it offers passengers. In terms of age group, a majority of the travelers in Vignesh TAT buses are between 18 to 35 years of age, again indicating that the youth have given a thumbs-up for its business model.
Tech-savvy approach
Having entered a segment where cut-throat competition is standard, Vignesh TAT has adopted a forward-looking tech-savvy approach to its business. Add some practicality and an uncompromising quality policy to it and we are sure to have a successful package.
Vignesh explains: “All our vehicles are tracked via GPS 24 hours and details of the vehicle including the driver’s contact number are sent to passengers before boarding. We use products of Namma GPS from Trichy and are happy with their performance. Our brand is growing only because of technology. Today, passengers can choose their preferred seat, bus timing, boarding point, drop point and options such as wallet payment, discounts and others have empowered travelers. Technology has changed a lot over the years and it has been instrumental in driving our company’s growth.”
While technology certainly does play an important role, the basics need to be flawless when it comes to delivering a good experience for passengers. “We take special care on the quality of AC, personalized entertainment system (TV screen with pre-loaded movies) and blanket and ensure all vehicles stop at the right locations for restroom and hotel breaks. In our AC buses, we serve water bottle, biscuits and snacks for all passengers”, he adds.
All Vignesh TAT buses depart only in the presence of two drivers and a conductor in each vehicle. Luggage tags are used to ensure bags are not interchanged. A complete vehicle check-up is performed everyday using a checklist to ensure everything is in order and nothing is missed out.
Personal touch
Going a step beyond providing a pleasant experience for passengers before and during the journey, the operator follows-up with them after the trip as well. “We have a separate team which makes calls to passengers seeking their feedback. The calls are made only between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and keeps us appraised of both appreciations as well as negative feedback. If there was a mistake on the driver’s side, we ensure the driver personally calls the passenger and issues an apology. Without passengers we cannot exist; but, without drivers we are not there, they are our super heroes. Striking the right balance between keeping drivers and passengers happy is an art”, says the young boss.
Some more probing on the topic of drivers gave way to some interesting and heartening discussions. Capturing Vignesh’s words: “Every month we have interactions with drivers to encourage and motivate them. During these meets, we discuss various issues with them, share feedback and understand their requirements. The results are tremendous; our drivers are highly inspired and are happy to work for us. We provide good uniforms for all drivers which makes them feel respected. There is a strong personal connect between me and my entire team. Without the team nothing would move, so all credit goes to the team.”
Is driver availability or retention an issue? Certainly not, at least with efforts as indicated above. “Driver availability is not an issue. If we treat drivers well and keep them happy, they will definitely put in their best and stay with us for a long time”, he responds.
Vignesh TAT has a total workforce of around 300 people that includes about 180 drivers. It works with around 40 booking agents who are called for a meeting once in three months to discuss feedback and share suggestions. Apart from its dedicated workforce, Vignesh TAT considers its strong agent connect as one of our major strengths and a key factor for its success.
Future plans
The recent change in taxation for bus fleets has given a major boost for Vignesh TAT. The operator used to pay weekly taxes amounting to Rs. 24,000 a week. Thanks to the new taxation policy, this has been brought down to a monthly tax amount of Rs. 54,000 which is a significant reduction.
Praising the Tamil Nadu Omni Bus Owners Association (TOBOA) for their undeterred efforts in making it happen, Vignesh expresses: “The entire credit for the change in taxation goes to TOBOA. Another outstanding work done by the association is the fare regulation that has paved the way for a level playing field for all operators in the state. We have to thank them a lot for the great effort. This has given a big boost for us since players can now differentiate themselves only based on the quality of service and not by reducing the ticket price.” Apart from TOBOA, Vignesh TAT is also a member of Bus Operators Confederation of India (BOCI) from which it receives regular updates and information about the sector.
With most parts of Tamil Nadu covered, Vignesh TAT’s next targets include Bangalore and parts of Andhra Pradesh. The company has done the necessary surveying but multiple taxation due to multiple states poses the main challenge. In addition to Bangalore and Hyderabad, the operator is also looking to add Pondicherry as one of its new hubs given the fact there are a lot of passengers moving into and out of the city on a daily basis.
In terms of fleet expansion, Vignesh TAT is planning to add around 20 vehicles by end of 2018 and by March next year, it aspires to reach a fleet of 100 vehicles. It plans to stick to Ashok Leyland and BharaBenz for the proposed expansion phase following which it will explore options in the multi-axle premium coach segment.
With such a well-planned and committed approach to delivering only the best for passengers, what vision is Vignesh TAT marching towards? The passionate founder signs off saying: “‘One travel is enough to judge us’ is our tagline. Our vision is to be able to live up to our tagline for the next fifty years and beyond. We have been able to keep it up until now and I am sure with the fantastic team we have we will continue to do so.”