Raj's Kahani:I have travelled on a number of long distance buses, but the experience I had with one such bus last Sunday was quite unique. Here is a service meant to raise standards in the way long distance buses travel, here are some of the unique points I noticed about this bus service

• Seats in the bus are much lesser than the normal Volvo bus which means more leg room
• When the TV plays, it does not blare into your ears and wake you if you wish to sleep. Simply plug in the earplugs provided with each seat and voila, better personal sound and no disturbance for the non-movie buff. Besides, the bus has an lcd monitor in the center of the bus to help passengers in the back seats to get a good view of the movie.
• When was the last time you needed a boarding pass to enter a bus, probably never needed one, but then Raj National Express is different. So when you book a seat for yourself, you get a boarding pass too just like the one you get in a plane.
• Just before you exit city limits, a lady announces over the mike, the time the journey is going to take and expected arrival time.
• On the bus, you are given a water bottle, blanket (which you can take home) and a utlility pouch that contains a wet towel, sweets and a cover for your eyes to ensure you have good sleep.
• And finally, according to the website the drivers are totally nonalchoholic and go through testing periodically. Quite appreciative.