28 December,2010 06:59 AM IST | | Vedika Chaubey
New Volvo buses to be installed with air fresheners to make travelling comfortable for passengers
You will no longer have to hold your breath to avoid the odour of sweaty passengers when you enter the BEST Volvo buses.
BEST is soon going to install five types of air fresheners in their Volvo buses, which will auto-spray every 10 minutes.
BEST will install five types of air fresheners in the Volvo buses, which will auto-spray every 10 minutes
At present, BEST has only two Volvo buses on road. This number will be increased to 50 by March 2011, and all buses will have air fresheners.
BEST Committee Chairman Sanjay Potnis said, "Air fresheners will be installed soon in all Volvo buses. An ad agency approached us with this unique idea and we thought of implementing it.
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I am sure our passengers will love this new concept."
Anuj S Kanakia, director of Postscript advertising agency that will be installing the air fresheners in the BEST buses, said, "We wanted to advertise our product but in a different manner.
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Having our product in BEST buses is a good idea as AC buses are normally closed and sometimes stink as well."
Apart from installing fresheners inside the buses, advertisements will be shown on LCD screens installed in the buses. The ads for the product will be painted outside the bus, behind the seats and also on the grab handles.
"This experience is not only innovative but the journey made by AC buses will become better. Initially, we are doing it for a month and will later renew the contract," said Kanakia.
He said that their intention is to provide a tension-free environment to passengers. Providing air fresheners in the buses is an effort to make the long commuting hours less stressful for Mumbaikars, he added.
The BEST authorities have given the go-ahead to the agency to install the fresheners inside the buses.
"Now, people don't have to go to the shop and test the fragrance as we are making them available in the journey itself," said Kanakia.
Passengers are also excited about the new concept of air fresheners in the buses.
Deepak Rawat, who usually travels by the AC KingLong buses, said, "This is a wonderful idea by BEST and I would like to thank them for allowing such innovation for us.
Sometimes, it really becomes unbearable to sit in the bus because of the smell of eatables. I have not traveled in the new bus but I am sure I will enjoy the experience."
Best's failed initiatives
Drop boxes for phone bills, PCOs, LCD screens for public messages and advertisements and CCTVs.
On some heavily patronised routes, BEST had also started ground booking where a conductor or a bus-inspector issued tickets before commuters got into the buses at bus stops.
Apart from this, BEST had also started Bluetooth-enabled services in its entire fleet. Commuters could download the mobile application 'Mobileji' on their mobile phones when they get into the buses. This also failed.
Fragrances
The five different fragrances of the air freshener are rose, lavender, sandalwood, jasmine and lemon
