PRASANNA PURPLE MOBILITY SERVICES PVT. LTD.
Prasanna Patwardhan, Chairman and Managing Director of Prasanna Purple Mobility Services Pvt. Ltd. is clearly sailing through a purple patch in his business. Over a thousand of his trademark buses are buzzing close to 110 routes in over 6 cities in India, raking in speedy returns…
On one occasion, Prasanna Patwardhan was forced to travel atop a bus for want of a vacant seat. Incidentally… it was his own bus! And to set facts right, the young Patwardhan was then “helping out” his father in 1985 in their “tourist access business”, as he puts it.
As the entrepreneur traversed the breezy route from Nagpur to Pune, he had little inkling that the gusts of wind were stealthily smuggling out the cash from his pockets. At Pune, Patwardhan discovered that the entire day’s cash collection accrued from his bus service business had vanished!
Presently, Patwardhan – a Science graduate who also holds credentials in Marketing Management – is yet sitting atop. At the apex, that is, as Chairman and Managing Director of a flourishing passenger mass transit operations provider, boasting of a turnover upwards of Rs. 200 crore!
Modest Start
“We got our first bus permit in 1988 and the bus service was from Pune to Mahabaleshwar. In 1992, we started our holiday business, taking into account the hotel booking aspect too. I've also worked as a driver for two-three consecutive days and issued tickets from ticketing counters, because of lack of personnel. We started with the name Prasanna brand and later changed it to Purple brand. As a company, we earn money on our Intra City coaches. But we offer different kinds of concessions in our City Bus business and that’s our CSR activity.”
Group Power
“The Prasanna Group has three companies: Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (Human Logistics) that operates in three verticals- Intercity, City Bus and Holiday Packages; Prasanna Transport Network Pvt. Ltd. (Logistics) – a full-fledged cargo arm that deals with 250+ strategic delivery locations and 90 offices across states and Smilestone Motels Pvt. Ltd. located on the Pune-Nagar highway, it is an ideal location for travellers to break their journey and enjoy a break.”
USPs Galore!
“We were the first company to start the online booking service, we had designed our own software and were the first in Maharashtra to start overnight bus services. In Delhi, we operate the ‘Hop-On, Hop-Off’ service, which is also quite unique. All our ticketing is digital, you can book our tickets through mobiles also and we have centralised control systems.”
Winner Formula
“Being a national-level basket ball player has surely added new facets to my personality. Be passionate about your work, believe in your plans and stick to them, even during tough times.”