Travelled on the new GSRTC Volvo 9600 bus: My real world observations

The dashboard is now finished in white plastic and protrudes out a bit more to be angled towards the driver.

BHPian porsche_guy recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Experiencing the newly-inducted GSRTC Volvo 9600 coaches.

It’s been a while since the “premium” buses of GSRTC got any updates. The older Volvo 9400s were starting the get tired and while they were still reasonably clean, they were starting to age; the seat foam had started to degrade, the engines were loud and small things such as some AC vents and charging ports were broken. Thankfully, someone in the powers that be noticed it and decided to replace the fleet with these new Volvo 9600 models. I was eyeing them since few months for my weekend up-down commutes and finally got an opportunity to try it last weekend. Do note that this wasn’t my first experience with the 9600 as one was showcased at the Auto Expo 2023 and I got to thoroughly check it out. However, that was a VIP-configuration which was not really indicative of the real life experience.

Pros:

• Lower NVH levels
• Better, fatter seats
• Contemporary styling
• Smaller touches like USB-C charging ports, rounded edges for the luggage door
• Sorted ride quality

• Cons:

• Some head-scratching ergonomic decisions
• No handles on top of partition for first row
• Not a fan of the new livery

From the outside, the Volvo 9600 in itself is a pretty design. Typically subtle as with Volvo designs but at the same time it looks a lot more contemporary than the 9400. The DRLs do play a part in making it look dashing along with the unique tail lamp design with a very unique wraparound 3D shape. However, I am not a huge fan of this new livery and prefer the older plain-white design.

Observant readers would notice the absence of the signature “kink” towards the rear of the roofline but that’s down to the fact that it is only available with the sleeper variants to increase the vertical space.

Inside, there is a refreshing change of colours used. The dashboard is now finished in white plastic and protrudes out a bit more to be angled towards the driver. There is also a new door panel with cupholders for the driver. Immediately as I climbed up the steps, I noticed that you sit a bit higher in this bus, perhaps by a foot or so.

Talking of the seat itself, the new ones have a thicker foam, slightly better under thigh support along with very useful winged headrests. Over the journey of 2.5-3 odd hours, I felt that these were certainly more supportive overall. What also helps enhance the comfort is the stronger AC (although this could just have been because of the age factor) and crucially, darker curtains which make a massive difference to the cooling. What I did not enjoy about the seating experience was the placement of charging ports; instead of being under the centre armrest, they have now been moved lower down on the side panel which makes them pretty much useless for aisle occupants. Quite a shame considering now you get double the amount of charging ports, half of them being the USB-C type. Bizzarely, the footrest now comes as a single unit for both passengers and loses the adjustability.

Coming to the ride itself, the engine fires up smoothly and NVH is greatly improved. There are hardly any vibrations felt and only a very slight turbo whine makes its presence known inside. The air suspension has also been retuned to offer a smoother and more rounded off experience. Then there are the other small touches as well, like the luggage doors now have curved edges at the bottom which feel much better to use and reduce the risk of cutting yourself accidentally(yes they really were that sharp on the 9400s). Overall, this is certainly a better experience barring a few misses. I hope these are maintained well by the new operator (Aadinath Bulk Pvt Ltd). Do note that all the buses have not delivered yet and the fleet is currently a mix of these as well as the older 9400s still being run by the older operator Chartered Speed Pvt Ltd.

Some pictures below:

New headlights give the design a lot of character; low mounted placement and larger size is concerning given they can easily shatter due to small hits. Do note that these are reflector halogen units, a departure from the projectors on 9400

Driver’s cockpit. The dashboard is more angular and now comes finished in white