Vijayanand Travels places order for 150 Volvo Buses — The largest single order by a private bus operator
2026-09-04
Volvo Buses
INDIA
- Driving premium bus travel to pan-India scale
- The landmark order deepens Vijayanand Travels’ decades-long partnership with Volvo Buses and reinforces its commitment to safety, reliability and passenger comfort.
4th September 2026, Bangalore: Marking a significant milestone in their decades-long partnership, Vijayanand Travels Private Limited (VTPL) has placed an order for 150 Volvo 9600 luxury sleeper coaches with Volvo Buses India— representing the largest single order placed by any private bus operator with Volvo Buses. The order was formally marked with a key handover ceremony held today at Bengaluru, further reinforcing the association between the two companies and VTPL’s continued commitment to expanding premium intercity travel in India.
VTPL has partnered with Volvo Buses to build a fleet that upholds the highest standards of safety, passenger comfort, and reliability. This latest investment takes Vijayanand Travels to the highest Volvo bus count among private bus operators in India, further strengthening its position as country’s leading premium intercity travel brands. VTPL currently operates across South, West, and Central India and continues to scale its presence as one of the country’s most recognised premium intercity travel brands.
VTPL has long been regarded as an innovator in the Indian bus travel space. The company introduced dedicated ladies’ seating, in-house bus maintenance and repair facilities, double-driver deployments for safety on long-haul routes, and the industry’s highest flat discount of 15% across all intercity buses booked through its platform, with its own booking app crossing 2 million downloads and an average of 20,000 customers travelling with VTPL every day. VTPL buses are known for their punctuality, and the company made history by launching Asia’s longest bus route from Bengaluru to Jodhpur. In a first-of-its-kind rollout at this scale in the Indian private bus segment, a majority of coaches in this order — around 70–80 —will also be fitted with onboard washrooms, purpose-built to serve VTPL’s long-haul routes and enhance customer convenience, reinforcing VTPL’s ‘Gold Class’ positioning as India’s most comfortable way to travel intercity, short of flying.
Expressing his optimism over the announcement, Shiva Sankeshwar, Managing Director, Vijayanand Travels Private Limited, said, “Our association with Volvo goes back decades, and it has been built on one simple principle, our customers deserve the highest standards of safety, reliability, and comfort. With this order of 150 Volvo buses, the largest single order placed by any private bus operator, we are significantly strengthening our fleet, expanding into new states, and reinforcing Vijayanand Travels’ position as India’s most trusted premium intercity travel brand. Volvo has been a long-standing partner in this journey, and this investment reflects our continued confidence in their technology, safety engineering and service ecosystem.”
Commenting on the partnership, B Srinivas, MD & CEO, VE Commercial Vehicles, stated, “Vijayanand Travels has been one of Volvo Buses’ most valued and longest-standing private operator partners in India, and this landmark order is a powerful testament to the trust built over decades. We take immense pride in being the preferred platform for operators who set the highest bar for passenger safety, comfort, and reliability. The Volvo 9600 represents the pinnacle of intercity luxury, and to see it anchoring Vijayanand Travels’ ambitious pan-India growth story is deeply gratifying. We remain committed to supporting VTPL with world-class products, technology, and after-sales excellence as they shape the future of premium intercity travel in India.”
Volvo 9600 Sleeper Coach
The Volvo 9600 platform has been derived from an award-winning European design and has already been setting significant benchmarks in luxury and comfort by operating successfully on key routes across the country. The distinctive Tall Boy design marries fine aesthetics with generous space to easily accommodate 40 sleeper berths and comes with 8.5 cu.m of luggage space. At the heart of the Volvo 9600 platform is the fuel-efficient Volvo D8K (8-litre) engine, delivering a power of 260 kW (350 HP) @ 2200 RPM and a torque of 1350 Nm @ 1200–1600 RPM. The fuel-efficient engine along with its purpose-developed drivetrain is designed to minimise Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and maximise uptime for bus operators. The chassis includes the I-Shift automated manual gearbox, Electronic Braking System (EBS), Hill Start Aid, and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) systems. Fire Detection and Suppression System (FDSS) is provided for the engine compartment and FAPS in the passenger area. Manufactured at VECV’s state-of-the-art facility in Hoskote, Karnataka, the Volvo 9600 reflects a strong commitment to the ‘Make in India’ initiative, combining global engineering excellence with local manufacturing capabilities to deliver world-class mobility solutions tailored for Indian operating conditions.
About Vijayanand Travels (VTPL):
Vijayanand Travels Pvt. Ltd. (VTPL), part of the VRL Group, is India’s largest and most trusted premium intercity bus operators. Headquartered in Hubballi, Karnataka, VTPL operates a modern fleet across a wide network of routes in South, West, and Central India, with a legacy of over five decades in passenger transportation. VTPL operated as part of VRL Logistics — India’s largest owner of commercial vehicles — until becoming an independent entity in 2023, carrying forward the same scale and operational discipline. The VRL Group today employs over 30,000 people and holds the highest number of drivers on its own payroll in the industry. The company is known for its Gold Class service standards, state-of-the-art company-owned boarding points, safety-first operating philosophy, and continued investment in premium fleet and an unwavering focus on customer trust and satisfaction.
About Volvo Buses India:
Since Volvo Buses established its presence in India in 2001, it has been driving change in the industry, introducing various firsts in India, including the true bus chassis concept, the low floor city bus concept, multi-axle coaches and India’s first commercialised hybrid bus. Over 8,000 Volvo buses operate on Indian roads, providing the best travel experience in terms of safety, luxury, and comfort to people. Pre-pandemic, nearly a million people commuted on a Volvo Bus every day, with the bus population having covered more than 3 billion kilometres. Since 2020, Volvo Buses India is a division of VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd, a Joint Venture between Volvo Group and Eicher Motors.
About VE Commercial Vehicles Limited (VECV):
VE Commercial Vehicles Limited (VECV) is a joint venture between the Volvo Group and Eicher Motors Limited. In operation since July 2008, the company’s businesses include Eicher branded trucks and buses, Volvo Buses in India, exclusive distribution of Volvo Trucks in India, exclusive global manufacturing hub for Volvo Group for 5- & 8-liter automotive engines, Engineering Components business and Eicher Power Solutions (Gen Sets and Versatile Engines). A multi-brand, multi-division Company, backed by innovative products & services, VECV today is recognized as an industry leader for modernizing commercial transportation in India and the developing world.
For further information, please contact:
Namah Chawla
PR & Corp. Communications, VECV
nchawla2@vecv.in