Contrary to popular belief that it was the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) that started the first bus service in India, it was T. V. Sundram Iyengar who introduced bus transportation to Indians.
TVS is familiar to us all for making two-wheelers. But not many people know that the origin of TVS Motors began with a bus service. In fact, TVS launched India’s first bus service in 1911 under the company T.V. Sundram Iyengar & Sons.y first bus service in India in the year 1911 under the company T. V. Sundram Iyengar & Sons.
Yes, you heard it right! Unlike popular belief (even stated in the Limca Book of Records) that it was the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) that started the first bus service in India, it was the TVS Group’s founder, T. V. Sundram Iyengar, who introduced bus transportation to Indians.
While BEST started its first bus service in 1926, T. V. Sundram Iyengar & Sons was formed in 1911 and started their first motor bus in 1912.
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The Beginning of a Dream
Thirukkurungudi Vengaram Sundram Iyengar, the founder of TVS Group, got inspired to start his own business after listening to a speech on entrepreneurship by Eardley Norton, a famous lawyer in Madras.
He first tried running a timber business, but it didn’t succeed. Later, he worked for the Railways and was also a clerk at the Bank of Madras.
When his father passed away in 1908, he quit his job at the bank and used his inheritance to restart his timber business.
This time, it became successful, and he became well-known as “Marakkadai Sundaram Iyengar” (Timber Merchant Sundaram Iyengar).
Launching the First Bus Service in India
With his savings from the timber business, Sundaram Iyengar teamed up with Khan Bahadur Khadar Nawaz Khan Sahib, a local businessman, to form the bus company T. V. Sundram Iyengar & Sons in 1911 and imported a set of buses.
T. V. Sundram Iyengar & Sons launched its first passenger bus service in 1912, which operated between Madurai and Pudukottai.
Though the exact bus fare is unknown, family members say food was included in the ticket. Even today, TVS continues this tradition by offering subsidised meals to its employees.
Sundaram Iyengar was a visionary operator who prioritized customer experience long before it became a business buzzword. Even back then, he ensured that the bus service was consistently on time and remarkably reliable.
In fact, legend has it that the bus was so punctual that many set their watches by it.
According to the TVS Group, a source once shared a story about how the Sage of Kanchi, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati used the bus as a natural alarm.
While staying in Pudukottai, he would wake up at 4 a.m. each day to the sound of the TVS bus passing by. Over time, this became part of his daily routine, a quiet testament to the bus’s unwavering punctuality.
Passengers were so happy with the service that they gave the company a nickname, “Thalla Vendam Sir,” meaning “No pushing required,” unlike other bus services where people often had to get down and push the vehicle.
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Innovation and Customer Focus
T.V. Sundaram Iyengar was also a very innovative entrepreneur. Back in the day, horse-drawn carriages were a common mode of transport, and as a result, roads were often littered with horseshoes and nails.
This posed a serious challenge as they frequently caused tyre punctures. To tackle this, TV Sundaram came up with an ingeniously practical solution.
He first hired young boys to collect these metal pieces from the roads. Later, he introduced a special vehicle with a magnet underneath to pick them up. This helped reduce tyre damage and kept the buses running on time.
What Happened Next
With time, T.V. Sundram Iyengar & Sons’ buses became legendary in their own right, and business flourished. At the height of its operations, the company ran 400 buses, covering over 40 stops.
However, the bus company was eventually shut down a few years later, for reasons that remain unclear.
Sundaram Iyengar then started a shop to repair bicycles and sell tyres and parts. In 1922, General Motors gave him the sole dealership for their vehicles in South India.
TVS returned to the transport business in 1946 by starting Southern Roadways in Madurai. This grew to become the largest private goods transport fleet in the country. Later, in 1972, the Tamil Nadu government nationalised its passenger transport division.
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Legacy of TVS Founder, T.V. Sundaram Iyengar
Family members and company leaders say that Sundaram Iyengar was a risk-taker, ambitious, and always focused on customer happiness. His story is proof that great ideas, strong determination, and care for customers can lead to lasting success.
His legacy is not only about building a business empire, but also about setting benchmarks for innovation, ethics, and service. T.V. Sundaram Iyengar’s life proves that a mix of bold thinking, relentless effort, and care for people can create a brand that lasts for generations.