A Four-Day Rajasthan Circuit That Breaks the Driving-Hour Rule
A Jaipur coach operator is asked to quote for a four-day circuit for 38 passengers, one tour escort and one driver. The route is Jaipur–Pushkar (150 km), Pushkar–Udaipur (280 km), Udaipur–Mount Abu (165 km, including about 40 km of ghat road) and Mount Abu–Jaipur (480 km). The group is a retired teachers' association travelling in May, when daytime temperatures cross 42°C. Two coaches are available: a 45-seat AC coach at ₹42 per km with a minimum billing of 250 km per day and ₹3,500 driver allowance per day, or a 45-seat non-AC coach at ₹34 per km with the same minimum and ₹3,000 allowance. On ordinary roads the coach averages 45 km/h; on the Mount Abu ghat section it averages 25 km/h. The operator's own safety rule is that a driver should not be on the road for more than nine hours a day, including a 45-minute lunch halt.
1. Check each day's driving time and identify whether the itinerary is feasible.
Read the worked answer
Road time = distance ÷ speed, then add the 45-minute halt.
- Day 1: 150 ÷ 45 = 3.3 h + 0.75 = 4.1 h - fine.
- Day 2: 280 ÷ 45 = 6.2 h + 0.75 = 7.0 h - fine, but little slack for sightseeing.
- Day 3: 125 km ordinary at 45 km/h = 2.8 h; 40 km ghat at 25 km/h = 1.6 h; driving 4.4 h + 0.75 = 5.1 h - fine.
- Day 4: 480 ÷ 45 = 10.7 h + 0.75 = 11.4 h - exceeds the 9-hour rule by about 2.4 hours.
The itinerary is not feasible as written. The problem is not average speed but the single long return leg. Other risks are May heat at 42°C, a retired group needing more toilet and stretch breaks, and ghat driving fatigue. A 9-hour limit with a 45-minute halt implies a maximum of about 370 km on ordinary roads (8.25 h × 45 km/h), and less if any ghat section is included. The operator should flag this before quoting, not after the advance is paid.
2. Compare the AC and non-AC coaches on cost per passenger and recommend one, giving reasons.
Read the worked answer
Total distance = 150 + 280 + 165 + 480 = 1,075 km, above the 1,000 km minimum billing, so bill actual kilometres.
AC: 1,075 × ₹42 = ₹45,150 + 4 × ₹3,500 = ₹14,000 → ₹59,150, or ₹1,556 per passenger (38 passengers). Non-AC: 1,075 × ₹34 = ₹36,550 + 4 × ₹3,000 = ₹12,000 → ₹48,550, or ₹1,278 per passenger. Difference = ₹10,600, or ₹279 per passenger.
For a retired group in 42°C heat, the non-AC saving is not worth the risk of heat exhaustion, complaints and a mid-tour vehicle change. ₹279 is small against a multi-day tour price and against the reputational cost of a bad review. Choose the AC coach, subject to checking the AC unit, tyre condition and a standby arrangement. If the client is strictly budget-bound, offer the non-AC only with a 6 a.m. start, extra drinking water and written acknowledgement of heat risk - but the operator should still prefer AC.
3. Propose an operational fix for Day 4 and list the contract clauses you would insert.
Read the worked answer
Day 4 options: (a) Add a fifth day and halt overnight at Ajmer on the return; cost of an extra night plus driver allowance is roughly ₹15,000–20,000, passed to the client. (b) Drop Mount Abu and return Udaipur–Jaipur (about 400 km), which is still 8.9 h + 0.75 = 9.6 h - over the limit. (c) Put a relief driver on the coach at Abu Road for the return leg. Two drivers share the 10.7 h, each within the 9-hour rule; cost about ₹2,000–3,000. This preserves the itinerary and is the cheapest compliant fix.
Recommend (c), with a 6 a.m. departure and fixed halts every two hours.
Contract clauses: driver relief included on any day exceeding 9 hours; tolls, parking and state permit charged extra; replacement vehicle within four hours of a breakdown; cancellation and force majeure; a written duty roster handed to the group leader; and confirmation that the coach has a valid permit and fitness certificate and that each driver's licence covers the vehicle class.