West Bengal Transport Corporation

West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC)[1] is a West Bengal state government undertaken corporation. It plies buses, trams and ferries in the state. It was formed by merging existing state transport agencies, namely the Calcutta State Transport Corporation, the Calcutta Tramways Company and the West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation.

For reading about previous operators, see Calcutta State Transport Corporation and Calcutta Tramways Company.

West Bengal Transport Corporation
Native name
পশ্চিমবঙ্গ পরিবহন নিগম
Formerly
West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation
পশ্চিমবঙ্গ রাজ্য পরিবহন নিগম
Public transport
Predecessor
  • STS (1948 - 1960)
  • CSTC (1960 - 2017)
  • CTC (1880-2017)
  • WBIWTC (1989 - 1991)
  • WBSTC (1991 - 2017)
SuccessorWBTC (8 June 2016 - present)
Founded31 July 1948
HeadquartersParibahan Bhavan – I, 12, R.N. Mukherjee Road,
Kolkata
,
India
Area served
Kolkata and West Bengal
Key people
  • Chairman - Rachhpal Singh
  • Managing Director - Rajanvir Singh Kapur IAS
Services
  • Bus Service
  • Tram Service
  • Ferry Service
OwnerTransport Department Government of West Bengal
Websitehttps://wbtc.co.in/

History

Bus services in Kolkata started in the year 1920 but were unorganised. The organized road transport in the public sector was given shape on 31 July 1948 with the creation of State Transport Services under the Directorate of Transportation, Government of West Bengal. It started operations on 6 intracity routes, with a fleet of 25 buses. Diesel era started with the addition of 2 (two) Double Decker buses in 1949-50. Then the STS became self-sustainable with the establishment of depots and terminals. Gradually the structure of State Transport Services turned into a full-fledged organization with spreading its network of operation throughout the entire city (mainly covering Calcutta Improvement Trust area). After about 12 years, State Transport Services became CSTC (Calcutta State Transport Corporation) on 15 June 1960. This was the start of a new era for the public transport system in the city and state. Up to 1966-67 CSTC nationalized about 90% of the City routes. After that CSTC could not sustain the increased passenger demands in the city mainly  due to the financial constraints. Since then the Government decided to allow private buses to operate in CSTC routes and areas. It also started operating on long-distance routes, starting with Calcutta–Digha in 1968. Over the years, with rapid expansions of long-distance operations, CSTC connected remote rural areas of the state with Kolkata. Soon, it covered almost the whole state and connected the district headquarter towns. In the year 1989, a new body was formed, named West Bengal Inland Water Transport Corporation Limited, for the operation of Vessel services. It started with the Ferry Service on the Hoogly and the Muriganga rivers. Later this was merged into West Bengal State Transport Corporation, which provided bus services in Kolkata and different areas of South 24-Parganas, along with the CSTC. In June 2016, WBSTC, CTC and CSTC were merged into one with operational name WBTC. Till the merge, WBSTC had a fleet of 233 (Volvo AC, TATA Marcopolo AC and Non-AC) buses.[2]

Operations

Fleet

WBTC has a fleet of 1337 buses as of 2019.[3] and 20 vessels for Passenger Ferry Service. Right now its fleet consists of 400 AC buses.

Depots

Previously, the depots were separately administered by WBSTC, CSTC and CTC. But after the merger, all have come under the purview of WBTC.[4][5] The previous owners of depot is also mentioned.

  • WBSTC - Howrah, Salt Lake, Usthi, IBT
  • CSTC - Howrah, Karunamoyee, Nilgunj, Belghoria, Paikpara, Manicktala, Kasba, Garia, Lake, Taratala, Thakurpukur, Tollygunge, Khidirpur, Gariahat, Park Circus, Rajabazar, Ultadanga
  • CTC - Habra, Barasat, Titagarh, Belgachia, Rajabazar, Ghasbagan, Khidderpore, Gariahat, Kalighat, Tollygunge, Joka

Services

Bus services
See also: Calcutta State Transport Corporation

Buses are operated on many routes across Kolkata and West Bengal.[6]

Night services

This was introduced to provide 24x7 transportation service to the city. These planned routes will closely knit Govt and Private Hospitals, Blood Banks, major Nursing Homes, Burning Ghats, Burial Grounds where stranded passengers will easily avail these services. Beside that other routes will also connect North-South part of the City, Salt Lake, New Town, Sealdah Station, Howrah Station and Dum Dum Airport as well.

Both buses and trams ply at night, and the numbers start with NS.

Banglasree Express AC Bus services

This service was introduced to connect district Headquarters towns of the state with the state capital with express bus service, so that people can travel overnight to reach Kolkata. Some routes are privatized and not operated by WBTC.

The bus numbers start with BE.

Tram services
For more detail, see Trams in Kolkata.

The tram operations came under WBTC from CTC, after the merge. In 2019 air-conditioned buses were introduced in the network.

Ferry services

WBTC also operates ferry routes across Hooghly river. One can avail the services using daily tickets, and few routes using season ticket.[7]

Special services

Some special transportation services are also provided on some occasions.[8]

  • Gangasagar Mela
  • Durga Puja Parikrama
  • Durga Puja Shopping Bus Service
  • International Kolkata Book Fair Bus Service
  • Winter Weekend Special
  • Eco Park Operation
  • Christmas Carnival
  • Haj Operation

Other utilities

Pathadisha app

This application is for commuters of Kolkata metropolitan area. By this application, commuters can view all incoming or outgoing buses and some for a particular stop or current location. One can also plan a trip in the app. This doesn't include the Tram services.

Intelligent Transport System

To cope up with the increasing demand of public transport in the city, some innovative measures were taken up, with a cost of ₹ 9,39,89,926, except fleet management. This also includes the Pathadisha app.

  • On-Bus Intelligent Transport System (OBITS)
  • Automatic Fare collection system (AFCS) with Smart Card ticketing system (West Bengal Transport Card)
  • Passenger Information system including Mobile Application on the basis of Vehicle Tracking System
  • Fleet Management System
  • Integration Services for UBS-II complied Buses
  • Passenger friendly on-board destination display
  • Removal of additional switch for ITS to enable tracking whenever the ignition is on
  • Zero cost on commuter to use these facilities – info available on their smart phones and publicly displayed LEDs
  • A unique application (Driver's app) has been introduced to track non-BS-IV vehicles too

Public initiatives taken
  • Road Safety Campaign called Safe Drive Save Life
  • Environment Protection campaign through the Green Movement campaign

See also

References
  1. "WBTC-West Bengal Transport Corporation – Public Transport Solution for Every Commuter". Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  2. "transport dept. wb". Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  3. Bandyopadhyay, Krishnendu (24 June 2019). "Kolkatans ditch cars, warm to AC bus fleet". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  4. "Bus Depots & Terminals". Transport Department, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  5. "CTC Buses & Depots". Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  6. "Bus Service". WBTC - West Bengal Transport Corporation. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  7. "Ferry Service – WBTC-West Bengal Transport Corporation". Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  8. "Special Services – WBTC-West Bengal Transport Corporation". Retrieved 27 June 2019.
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