In a first, hop-on-hop-off tourist bus service introduced in Bengal
KOLKATA: The state Tourism department in association with the state Transport department is going to introduce a 'Hop-on Hop-Off' (HOHO) tourist bus service in the city to facilitate tourists. It is perhaps the first such service to get introduced in India. The service is scheduled to start on September 28 to facilitate the tourists and pandal hoppers for Bengali's biggest festival the Durga Puja which got the UNESCO's tag of Intangible Cultural Heritage this year.
On Monday state Tourism minister Babul Supriyo and Principal Secretary of Tourism department, Saumitra Mohan announced that apart from the HOHO service, double-decker bus services are going start from Tuesday to facilitate tourist movement in the city during the Puja days. Two double-decker buses will start from Cathedral road and conclude their journey at the gate of Jorasanko Thakur Bari on C R Avenue via Victoria Memorial, Princep Ghat, Saint John's Church and Dacres lane. Tourists can avail of the bus from any of these points and can deboard as well. The fare for the journey has been fixed at Rs 50. There will be a seating facility for 12 persons on the upper deck of the bus while 14 persons can seat on the lower deck. However, boarding the bus is subject to the availability of seats. Supriyo will inaugurate the service from Cathedral Road on Tuesday around 12 pm. The service will be available between 11 am and 6 pm everyday till October 10. However, these buses will again ply on the road under the Kolkata Connect banner after a few days. There might be some modifications in the route and fare. This apart Supriyo and Mohan informed that the HOHO bus service will be available between 9 am and 6 pm daily at certain intervals in a loop and cover major tourist attractions. For this service, tourists will have to buy a pass worth Rs 250.
With this pass, people can avail of any bus services operated by the West Bengal Transport Corporation as well as ferry services. This pass will be valid for one particular day only. The Tourism department is also going to introduce special Puja special bus services for foreign tourists and people coming from other states. Only hotels and tour operators or travel agents can book these services for a group of people and no individual can avail of this service independently. The Tourism department has selected 49 Puja pandals where these tourists will be taken to for showcasing Durga Puja.
