Royal Cruiser

Background: Royal Cruiser is a company held jointly by West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation Limited and Kaushik Logistics Private Limited. Kaushik Logistics Pvt. Ltd. is the foremost player in specialized handling and transportation of large volume as well as containerized ocean-bound cargo meant for Steel, Power, Telecom and Automobile industry. It has a fleet strength of over 200 trailers to move around Kolkata and Haldia ports. Royal Cruiser operates the latest European variants of Volvo Mark III buses. They operate on various routes in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh along with the Dhaka – Kolkata bus service.


Location: My journey from Kolkata to Asansol


Prior Expectations:

1. Should reach on time.
2. The bus should be clean and comfortable.
3. The whole experience was expected to have a premium feel to it.


Factual Information:

1. The driver and helper were well dressed.
2. Two LCD display panels were present for on-board entertainment. They were suitably placed such that everybody could see the panels.
3. Climate control system was present. The temperature inside the bus was well maintained.


Pros:

1. Booking tickets was very easy – booking is done by agents and online. An SMS confirming the booking is sent as soon as the booking is made.
2. Comfortable journey – thanks to the climate control and reclining seats.
3. On-time performance
4. Good on-board entertainment system – choice of movie shown was good, a lot of people were watching with a lot of interest.
5. Snacks were served and bottled water was provided. Again choice of snacks was well made – a combination of local and universal favourites were served.
6. Very cost effective.
7. Travel time was comparable to that of the fastest train available.
8. Convenient pick-up points.


Cons:

1. The only real con was the cleanliness. The curtains were not washed for a very long and the upholstery and the floor were visibly dirty.
2. Maintenance of the buses could be greatly improved.


The expectations were generated as a result of the communications from the brand – both verbal and non-verbal. This actually highlights an important feature in service marketing – how a service firm communicates with its consumers. It is important to identify the gaps in the service offered by the competitors in order to enable effective differentiation. These points then have to be effectively communicated to the customers in order to succeed. In Royal Cruiser’s case, the phrases used such as “99% on time” and “feels like flying” help in differentiating the brand’s offering.

Overall for this experience, I would give Royal Cruiser a 7/10.