KPN Travels
Encyclopedia
KPN Travels is a private company operating long distance bus services between major towns in South Indian states of Tamil Nadu
, Karnataka
, Kerala
, Andhra Pradesh
and Pondicherry.
and was founded in 1973 by Dr. K.P. Natarajan who was born to an agricultural family in a small village near Salem, Tamil Nadu. First service started between southern town of Thirunelveli and Bangalore
, with a strong customer based management the company has grown to service 200+ destinations in South India
.
covering almost all major towns.
service called Coupe Coach in major routes. Along with the above services, normal non air-conditioned semi sleeper service is available in most of the routes.
Online booking is available on the website www.kpntravels.in with registration. The tickets can also be booked from Redbus.in
website.
, though the company considers Southern Railway
as its primary competitor and in fact most of its services are in competition with Southern Railways
.
to handle modern hi speed buses. Despite all this there are several incidents involving casualties had been reported.On June 7, 2011 a KPN A\C sleeper bus caught fire near Vellore and all but one passenger and the driver were burnt alive.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
and Pondicherry.
History
KPN Travels is based in Salem, Tamil NaduTamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and was founded in 1973 by Dr. K.P. Natarajan who was born to an agricultural family in a small village near Salem, Tamil Nadu. First service started between southern town of Thirunelveli and Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, with a strong customer based management the company has grown to service 200+ destinations in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
.
Destinations
The company operates long distance services to 200+ destinations in South IndiaSouth India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
covering almost all major towns.
Service
The company operates air conditioned semi sleeper services in most of the routes. The company also operates sleeper busSleeper bus
A sleeper bus is a type of specially adapted coach, often used to transport bands and their technicians and road crew between cities and shows....
service called Coupe Coach in major routes. Along with the above services, normal non air-conditioned semi sleeper service is available in most of the routes.
Ticket Booking
Tickets can be purchased at KPN Travels offices located in all the destinations as well as from other travel agents who are authorized to sell tickets by KPN.Online booking is available on the website www.kpntravels.in with registration. The tickets can also be booked from Redbus.in
Redbus.in
redBus, also known as redBus.in, is an online travel agency offering bus tickets in India. It has offices in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam....
website.
Competition
The company faces stiff competition with other private operators as well as state operator TNSTCTNSTC
The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation is the public transport bus operator of Tamil Nadu, India. It operates buses along intra and inter state bus routes, as well as city routes.There are currently 6 divisions in TNSTC:*TNSTC Coimbatore...
, though the company considers Southern Railway
Southern Railway Zone (India)
The Southern Railway is the earliest of the 16 zones of the Indian Railways created in independent India. It was created on April 14, 1951 by merging three state railways namely Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway, and the Mysore State Railway. The South Indian Railway...
as its primary competitor and in fact most of its services are in competition with Southern Railways
Southern Railway Zone (India)
The Southern Railway is the earliest of the 16 zones of the Indian Railways created in independent India. It was created on April 14, 1951 by merging three state railways namely Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway, and the Mysore State Railway. The South Indian Railway...
.
Safety and Incidents
The company has a very good record of safety and training their driversBus driver
A bus driver, bus operator or omnibus driver is a person who drives buses professionally. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus stations or stops. They often drop off and pick up passengers on a predetermined route schedule. In British English a different term, coach drivers, is...
to handle modern hi speed buses. Despite all this there are several incidents involving casualties had been reported.On June 7, 2011 a KPN A\C sleeper bus caught fire near Vellore and all but one passenger and the driver were burnt alive.