Pai Associates – 25 years of dedicated & sustainable bus services

Pai Associates, the travels division of the Pai Group, is known for its dedicated and devoted bus services to the people since inception in 1992. With its head office at Belagavi in Karnataka, Pai Associates has connected the city and its people to destinations with its fleet of buses for more than two decades. MOTORINDIA spoke to Mr. Krishnakumar N. Pai, founder of the Pai Group and MD of Pai Associates, and Mr. Rajendra N. Pai, Head of Fleet Operations, on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee Year of Pai Associates, at the Belagavi office.

Mr. Krishnakumar N Pai, Managing Director, Pai Associates

Outlining the history of the ‘Pai Group’, Mr. Krishnakumar Pai said: “The Pai Group was formed in 1952. We started with our trading business and the transport business, was started thereafter to support trading. We started our transport business with a Bedford truck in the 1950s, on the Belagavi – Mumbai route. In 1962, we established our first transport office, outside Belagavi, at Maszid Bunder in Mumbai, to support our business. Pai got the bus permit in 1992 and eventually Pai Associates was set up. The initial route of Pai Associates was Belagavi – Mumbai on a Tata 807 bus. We made it sure that our buses had the support of our trucks in case of any requirements. So, on priority basis, we started our first bus route to Mumbai, as we already had our trucks running on the same route for our trading business”.

Soon, Pai Associates brought 28-seater Tata buses to accommodate more passengers on the route. In 1996, it started the Belagavi – Bengaluru route. Soon its committed bus services became very popular at Belagavi, and eventually the Belagavi – Mangalore and Belagavi – Pune routes were started in quick succession.

In 2002, Pai bought a DC (Dilip Chhabria) bus and introduced it on the Belagavi – Mumbai route. The bus, produced at DC’s Silvassa plant, soon became the cynosure of all eyes. It ran successfully for four years till 2006.

Mr. Pai added: “We decided to move ahead with time, and in 2003, Pai Associates included two Volvo B7R Mark 1 buses to its fleet. Volvo’s step into the Indian market changed the definition of luxury travel among the passengers. Pai increased its Volvo buses fleet gradually with Volvo B7R Mark 2 buses and our total strength of Volvo buses soon reached eight. In 2011, we opted for one of its kind – two Volvo B9R 12 mtr coaches with customized rear driver berths. We have also added eight air-conditioned sleeper coaches and four air-conditioned seater coaches along with our non-AC coaches to the fleet. Our buses bear Hindu traditional and cultural colors – yellow and red. Yellow signifies ‘haldi’ (turmeric) symbolizing ‘inner purity and inner pride’, while red signifies ‘kumkum’ as a form of ‘shakti’ or power”.

Over the years, Pai Associates has remained a dominant bus fleet operator in North Karnataka, in terms of its excellent passenger services. The goodwill of the operator amongst its passengers on account of its punctual services, disciplined crew, cleanliness within the buses and good hospitality make Pai the most sought after operator among the Belagavi people.

Speaking on fleet operations, Mr. Rajendra Pai remarked: “Currently, we have fleet schedules connecting Belagavi with Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru. With the perspective of providing better services, apart from induction of new luxury buses into our fleet, we have undertaken some new developments on the operation front, followed by streamlining measures. We are coming with our own “Mobile – App” on both Android and iOS platforms, which will facilitate mobile-ticketing on the go. We will also be enabling GPS-tracking for passengers soon. On-board entertainment for passengers will be introduced with a plethora of movies and entertainment shows available through our app, supported by on-board Wi-Fi and DVR storage modules in our buses”.

Speaking on the maintenance infrastructure, he said: “Pai Associates has its own maintenance team and technicians for the buses, with support assistants visiting regularly from manufacturers like Ashok Leyland. We have our own garage facilities with engine workshop, paint shop for minor paint jobs, with basic maintenance support like tyre-pressure check-ups, etc.”

Mr. Rajendra further said that the bus codes will improve bus safety standards and will take care of passenger safety on priority. With bus body builders and the OEM industry making Bus Code-compliant buses, the industry standards will improve in terms of adherence to regulations and norms with reference to bus and passenger safety.

Referring to fleet expansion, he said that his company is planning to procure Bharat-Benz sleeper coaches with Veera bus body. Discussions are also on for inducting new Volvo buses into Pai fleet in the near future.

Asked about the factors considered while planning a new route, he said: “We consider customer feedback and viability. The planned routes are surveyed by our team for proper hotels for food breaks and rest rooms for bio-breaks for passengers”.

Commenting on the issue of safe driving, Mr. Pai observed: “Bus drivers and crew play an integral role in maintaining our fleet services. We give instructions to our bus crews regarding safe driving, and awareness is created regarding proper behaviour and hospitality being extended to passengers travelling on board our buses. In-house consultations and technical training are conducted with Ashok Leyland and JK Tyres regarding vehicle maintenance”.

Pai Associates has well-trained staff dealing with passenger queries and complaints. Speaking on the company customer service, the MD said: “Since the people of Belagavi are well acquainted with our dedicated and punctual service, we hardly get complaints. But, of course, any complaints received from the passengers are attended to promptly and the required action taken.”

As regards fleet operation, Pai Associates considers its USPs as the main factors of its sustainability.

Summarizing the challenges faced by a private fleet operator, the MD observed: “Surviving in the industry as a private bus fleet operator has always been a challenging task. The Government policies are not at all encouraging, particularly with reference to taxation. There is a need for a collective approach to reach a consensus regarding the problems faced by bus fleet operators for a permanent solution for overall development”.

Speaking on the constitution of the Bus Operators Confederation of India (BOCI), the MD said that it is for the first time in the history of private bus fleet business in India that all operators have united on one platform to address the challenges faced by the industry. It’s a good initiative towards betterment and development as a whole.

Regarding the upcoming ‘Prawaas 2017’ BOCI event to be held in Mumbai towards the end of July, Mr. Krishnakumar Pai added: “Prawaas seems to me a promising event for facilitating a platform to discuss the problems of bus fleet operators and explore opportunities of growth through planned future endeavours. A channelized B2B dialogue among the members will improvise business networking and promote a regulatory framework to attract investments for the growth of the sector”.

Sharing his views on the GST, the MD said that the new tax system will replace all indirect taxes levied on goods and services by the Central and State Governments, and is being seen as the most logical step towards a comprehensive indirect tax reform in the country. GST’s major benefit to the commercial vehicle and road freight segment will be taxation at a national level, rather than by each individual State. This will result in more efficient cross-State transportation, smoothening the paperwork for road freight companies, and bringing down logistics costs.

“Pai Associates has proved its sustainability effectively on the part of its fleet operations and its services towards its passengers by providing comfortable, luxurious and safe travelling. It has completed 25 successful years of its services during 1992 to 2017. On our Silver Jubilee celebrations this year, we would like to thank the people of Belagavi for their whole-hearted support and goodwill”, he added.

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