August 2018
The stock has seen considerable selling off late.. VRL has posted decent results for Q3 2018. One can purchase this stock for a target of 350+ within a year.
My tryst with VRL started way back, when i once used their interstate bus service from Karnataka to Maharashtra. I had to travel to Pune, from Bangalore to visit a cousin's house warming ceremony.
I did try to book the state govt. run bus service, and on a short price comparison, found out that it was much wiser to choose the slightly costlier Private service which offered much more benefits. In the process, I bumped into VRL's own booking site which offered an additional 5% if booked from their own site (against booking from a booking app). This made the deal even more lucrative.
So, I went ahead and booked a sleeper in the upper deck for a late night start so that I reach Pune around midday the next day.
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| VRL bus terminus near Race Course, Bangalore |
Now, the bus was on time, I boarded the bus and kept my luggage and then got down so that the rest of the passengers settled down. VRL buses have CCTV cameras built in to monitor inside coach activity, so i was rest assured that my luggage would be safe.
The bus departed on time after the tickets were checked and picked up passengers at various nodal points that came along within city limits.
By about 11.15pm, we were on the outskirts of Bangalore and the pace just started to pick up once we hit the highway past Peenya Industrial hub.
It was now time for me to listen to some awesome classic songs and then retire for the night.
I was woken up around 3AM by an announcement from the cleaner that we had 15 mins for refreshments. We had reached Chitradurga and the bus had taken a pit stop at their own terminus which was even bigger than the one at Bangalore! It could easily accommodate more than 70-90 buses easily. The facility really impressed me for it's cleanliness, the toilet facilities which was huge and neatly maintained and could accommodate passengers from multiple buses thronging to relive themselves. It had a inhouse canteen where i had piping hot fresh Idly & Vada Sambhar and ending it with a cup of chai enjoying the chill weather and the sounds of trucks in the distant highway.
The bus then left the facility only after the cleaner checked if all passengers were back onto their seats and within minutes I was back to sleep, but the chai was taking effect and i was not able to sleep for a while. I did not realize when i slept, but was woken up when the bus again jolted towards another pitstop around 6AM.
This pitstop now blew my mind completely and my perception about VRL changed completely!
We had reached Varur (near Hubli), which is a huge logistics facility of VRL LOGISTICS. Yes, this was when i was transitioned from VRL travels to VRL LOGISTICS!This facility showcases the logistics capability of VRL LOG clearly. Loads of trucks, mini vans, inhouse coach building, mechanic shop, paint shop and their very own diesel pump!
I relived myself, after having eaten in middle of the night and the ride hastened my bowel movements!There was another pitstop near the Karnataka border just after Belagavi for breakfast. This facility too had good elaborate toilet + bathing facilities and a decent restaurant. After brushing, I had a good breakfast since I would not be able to eat until midday till i reached my cousin's place in Pun
There was another pitstop near the Karnataka border just after Belagavi for breakfast. This facility too had good elaborate toilet + bathing facilities and a decent restaurant. After brushing, I had a good breakfast since I would not be able to eat until midday till i reached my cousin's place in Pune.We then crossed the border, entering Maharahstra and finally made it to Pune around 1.30PM. I then called my cousin who picked me up near a place called Swargate.
This was my experience with VRL and the journey made me realize the magnitude of this company, not just as a passenger transporter, but also as a logistics player and how well organized the business was all along!
It was then I made a conscious decision to make an investment in the evergreen sector of logistics, and VRL LOGISTICS became my pick. The fundamentals of this company is there for you to see in the video.
Do let us know if you had similar experiences with VRL LOG either in passenger or logistics services.
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