Cooch Behar’s iconic double-decker bus to become permanent heritage exhibit

Cooch Behar: The heritage double-decker bus of Cooch Behar, a unique symbol of the royal city’s transport history, will no longer run on the roads. The North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) has decided to preserve the vehicle exclusively as an exhibition piece.

According to NBSTC officials, the bus will soon be installed at a designated site within the Old Bus Stand premises on Silver Jubilee Road in Cooch Behar town. Preparations are already underway to restore the vehicle and place it permanently for public viewing.

Cooch Behar was the only place in Bengal, apart from Kolkata, where a double-decker bus operated. Of the five such vintage buses, this unit was the last surviving one in the region. Despite several attempts to repair and relaunch it over the years, technical and safety challenges made road operations impossible, prompting the corporation to withdraw it permanently.

NBSTC Managing Director Dipankar Piplai said: “Preparations are underway to restore the bus and keep it in a designated location for exhibition.”

The legacy of the service runs deep. Cooch Behar Transport was established in 1945 by Maharaja Jagadipendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, and was later renamed the North Bengal State Transport Corporation.

Double-decker services were introduced in 1956, gradually expanding in number. In 1981, several buses of this fleet were officially named, becoming a popular attraction among both residents and tourists.

However, due to safety concerns, the service was discontinued during the Left Front era. Following the formation of the Trinamool Congress government, efforts were made to revive the buses in hybrid formats and as tourist rides, but each attempt was short-lived.

This latest decision marks the bus’s final retirement from active service.

Haripada Pal, an 86-year-old retired teacher and long-time resident of Cooch Behar, recalled: “I travelled on the double-decker bus many times. It took a little longer, but the experience was memorable.

I welcome NBSTC’s initiative—future generations will now learn about the bus and its history.”