Hijackk bus joyride on ECR

Chennai residents living around ECR would have seen an overly decorated red coloured bus moving slowly. If you’d like to know more about this bus, this post is for you.

Hijackk is a custom built open top bus, with dining tables and lighting all around. Hijackk is currently operated as a mobile restaurant wherein you have your dinner as the bus goes for a ride. Hijackk operates in few cities including Ahmadabad, Chennai, Rajkot and Surat.

We decided to try this bus for a team outing and went for a drive in Chennai’s east coast road. Ticket price was Rs 500 per person for veg dinner (printed price was Rs 775 though) Couple of preferences we had on date and time had to be dropped Tickets were door delivered

Interiors of Hijackk bus- good for a party on the move

What happens in a Hijackk bus ride?

Bus has limited number of seats (some 50 seats, lower and upper deck put together). Each of these seats is sold out for 500-700 Rs (500 for Veg, higher amount for non-veg, discounts may apply at time).

Every evening, bus goes for 2 rounds- one at 7 PM and another one at 9 PM, from Hot breads in ECR (about 1 km before tollgate) till Kovalam bypass and back. Dinner will be served on board and can be had as the bus moves.

What was good?

Worth a onetime try- different experience from having food in a stationary restaurant. You get to feel the breeze, view roadside from an elevated roof top, give a titanic pose on the deck, enjoy other road users look at you in envy, have some food and come back.

Signage can be touched by extending your had

What was not good?

·         Food is ordinary. Just not worth the ticket price. Food will be just an excuse-what you pay will be for the ride

·         One should watch out for overhead electric cables and low hanging tree branches. If you’re tall or if you’re standing on a stage/seat or if you’re extending your arm upwards, there’re high chance you’ll come into contact with these cables or trees. So watch out.

Overhead electric cables- watch out

·         Bus moves very slowly- may be 10-15 kms. Fine for sometime, but towards the end it gets boring

·         Half of the decorative lighting on the bus were not working

·         They use glass cups and breakable utensils. Since it is a moving bus, will be good idea to have plastic/fibre based utensils

On the roof of hijackk bus

·         Bus plies during night time. You can’t enjoy the scenic ECR. Couple of rounds during the day would have been nice

·         Some tables were not firm and used to shake a lot

Our journey started almost on time (10 minutes delay) During our journey, bus returned ahead of time, so it just stopped little ahead of end point for several minutes.  A little longer journey or stopping at a nice place would be nice. Some passengers preferred food to be served when the bus is stationary. As we came back, passengers ready to board for next round were waiting.

Hijackk has been operational for about 6-9 months as far as I can recall. It is worth a onetime visit, but won’t make you go again and again. Now that most of Chennaites would have explored it, will be nice if Hijackk operators reduce the fare and go for volume. Also bus needs periodic maintenance, which doesn’t seem to be happening.

Also read: Gurgaon-Jaipur by Bus * Be kind to bus drivers *