Universal Travels — Worst customer care service - always late - worst drivers and executives - bad bus conditions - swappings

Address:	600001
Website:	universaltravels.in

Few facts about Universal Travels and Services (UTS): I have travelled in UTS from Chennai to Karaikal and vice versa many times. I used to book in this bus at the last minute when there s no seats available in other bus services and in train. That is I don’t have any other options. In many such travels I face many issues. Not all UTS services are bad, I have travelled from Karaikal to Bangalore and vice versa when I worked in Bangalore. Also travelled once in Kochi to Karikal Bus. All these are good and maintain perfect timing (bug Luggage problems were there). Only to and from Chennai UTS busses are very worst. Below details are from my personnel experience and from my friends experiences. Please go through this if you need to have some idea on the service. Do like or reply if you agree or not. At least it will be useful for someone else. Especially late night service To/From Chennai: 1. There are many pick-up points which don’t have UTS offices or Support person. So no one can make sure that your pickup will be safe. 2. They will send a contact number (Driver) and when you called them, they without asking whether you need to board that particular bus at that boarding point on that time, they will say "Bus is on the way sir, please wait". Whenever you call they will say some nearest place and crossed it. For instance when you are waiting at Anna University for 11.30 bus, till 11:45 they will say it has crossed Vadapalani. But fact will be it might have not started from CMBT itself. (This is true that I faced it one time, I am calling them like that but it didn't reach till 12:30, when I asked one of the passengers in that bus that when it started from CMBT, they are telling it is started at 12:05 only from CMBT. 3. At some calls when you ask they will say "Sir that bus already Crossed Anna University" and it is near Thiruvanmiyur. Later again you fight with them they will say that this is different bus, your bus will come later and give some other number. That time only we will realize that we calling a wrong person. 4. You will be panicked by seeing some five UTS busses are going and yours didn’t arrive even after the pick-up time. 5. When one UTS bus is coming, that attendee won’t say their timing and destination and what seat numbers they expect. Rather everyone need to say their destination and seat number, they attendee will say not this bus. Some used to say that already gone sir. 6. You can see many UTS busses waiting a long way just to swap their passenger due to the reason as mentioned in above case 5. 7. So as a whole many UTS buses (say starting from 11:00 to 12:30 some 5 busses) from Chennai will be near ECR Sholinganallur Tollgate at 1:00 AM to swap their passengers hear and there. 8. There are 60% chances that you will board in wrong bus and need swapping somewhere. 20% chances that you will completely miss all UTS buses along the way. (In out of my some 8 Journeys 2 times Swapped, 1 Time missed the bus completely, in all 8 Journeys the bus came after some 1:30 Hrs of mentioned bus Time.) 9. It is worst that swapping may happen near Pondichery also. 10. As earlier mentioned that there won’t be any office rooms available, you need to sit near drainage and be good food for Mosquitoes there. Your eyes will be paining by seeing buses one by one for min of 2 hrs. 11. When you board, there will be already more than 2 passengers already fighting with the driver or attendee. 12. The attendee and Driver themselves will be fighting in some cases, also with CMBT officials. 13. These attendees and Drivers are very keen on accepting passengers and luggage’s without prior booking on the way to make money. So this will cause in between quarrels and delays. 14. Cabin will be full of passengers and luggage. 15. They will collect 400 (say) as bus fare from advance bookings, but along way u can find peoples (who didn't book in advance) boarding at just 300 or 250, even 200 in some cases. Many decent services like Rathimeena or Parveen or SRM don’t do these cheep business rather they will run the trip with half filled. 16. UTS attendees and drivers will get down at many places and try to sell unsold tickets, like fish market. So you can't sleep until it crosses last boarding point or till all seats and luggage rooms are filled. 17. Since they already delayed the Journey for about 2 to 3 hours, they will run like hell on the way. They don’t care about pits and falls, they won’t use breakings wisely. It will be more like riding in Share Auto in a bad road with full of passengers. Any how they will be some 1 hour late at the drop point. 18. Buses are managed very poorly. 19. Main prime motive o[censored]TS s luggage services, so at the top and luggage room it will have more and so that it will stop in many drop points along the way. There in drop points workers will make noises and you will be getup for sure. 20. They won’t hesitate to stop one service when advance bookings are less and will ask passengers to board in another bus in different available seats. 21. They will run many buses towards south and after some place they will combine two buses into 1. 22. Worst part is when you called some customer care number, they will give one more number, he again will give some other number, and they will say within 5 min I will call you. But they won’t call you when you call again they will say, bus is on the way, please wait. Sometimes they won’t accept call from your number again. Need to call from a different number. 23. Customer care numbers (They say it is call center number) are foolish and they are just sitting in a single (CMBT) office and they will give number of another person sitting next to him. So people will hear busy sound or need to call some other person till they got their bus. 24. If you booked ticket on-line then many UTS office people won’t give proper response to you. In some occasions when there are no people to board in that location, then they will close the shop and go home, won’t accept any calls there after. Simply they have very poor Planning and Co-ordination with money and luggage carriage motive. Not customer friendly or expecting customer satisfactory. My best advice when there are no seats in other services available, then please come by government bus services or take one day leave and start from next day.