From horse-drawn to CNG: Kolkata’s 195-year-old bus journey - GetBengal Story
Can you believe it? Kolkata’s bus service is almost two hundred years old! Just like trams, the look and infrastructure of buses in the city have gone through many changes over time. Naturally, alongside trams, buses too have become an inseparable part of Bengali nostalgia. Keeping that in mind, on October 7, an organisation named Kolkata Bus-o-pedia hosted a unique exhibition to celebrate 195 years of bus service in Kolkata. The event was titled “Bus Yatra 3.0”, marking the organisation’s third year of celebration.
According to historical perspective, when the first bus began its operation it was horse-drawn and it ran its course between Barrackpore and Dharmatala in 1830. Gradually, motor buses made their way into society in the 1910s. In 1918, the first motor bus service was implemented between Metiabruz and Khidirpur. Subsequently, in 1920-22, Calcutta Tramways Co. (CTC) initiated bus services at that time as well as private motor bus services.
In the year 1926, Walford Company launched the city’s first double decker bus, followed by the Bengal Bus Syndicate in 1928. After independence, bus services expanded into multiple routes run by CSTC, SBSTC, and NBSTC. In the 1950s, there was even a bus result that journeyed all the way from London to Calcutta! The double decker bus was called "Albert." The bus began its journey in 1957 and was called the longest bus journey in the world at the time, for the Albert Tour Service.
"Bus Yatra" in this year has brought to Kolkata Bus-o-pedia the buses from routes 238 and 63, along with a government CNG bus. In the 238 and CNG buses, visitors got to see the photos of old horse-drawn buses that were on the streets of Kolkata and bus tickets from the British period! The inside of the 238 bus, in particular, caused lots of nostalgia with its similarities in design to the old double-decker buses. AC Volvo and CNG buses from the recent fleet were presented as part of the event.
Beyond the exhibition, bus enthusiasts from the organisation regularly publish a bulletin that updates readers about new buses added to various routes, buses being retired, and includes lists and models of buses with their route numbers. The exhibition beautifully presented the evolution of buses in Kolkata and its surrounding districts — from horse-drawn buses to double-deckers, from Mercedes-made buses to today’s minibuses. Photos of district buses were also displayed.
Also read : Kolkata and its first bus service
On the day of the event, the exhibition buses started from Howrah Maidan, travelled through Esplanade, and stopped at Rabindra Sadan, before returning to Howrah Maidan.
The involvement of the older population and the younger generation was astonishing. All in all, this event was a great opportunity to reflect back on the brief history of Kolkata’s buses, which dates back to 1830, a period of 195 years. The crowd’s enthusiasm and that of the youth were a great joy of the commemoration.
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Translated by Krishnendu Mitra
To read the original Bengali article, click here.
