WBTC launches 2 Volvo 9600 luxury buses with bio-toilets on long-distance routes

Kolkata: The West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) has introduced two Volvo 9600 series luxury buses equipped with bio-toilets, marking the first instance of a government-run bus service in Bengal offering such a facility. The coaches became operational just before the Kali Puja vacation on long-distance routes such as Kolkata–Siliguri and Kolkata–Asansol.

The two bio-toilet coaches are part of a batch of six fully built 12.2-metre Volvo 9600 B8R buses procured by the Corporation, the remaining four being standard versions without toilets. Each BSVI-compliant bus accommodates 43 passengers, excluding the driver and co-driver, and is equipped with Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems.

According to Transport department officials, the bio-toilet buses were delivered before Durga Puja and pressed into service in mid-October, while the four standard coaches had arrived earlier. Although private operators have been running bio-toilet-equipped luxury buses for some time, this is the first such facility introduced in a state-run service. The fare structure, however, remains unchanged from existing government-operated Volvo services.

Passenger feedback has been encouraging, though sources within the Transport department admitted that maintaining the bio-toilet systems will be a challenge in the long run, particularly as fares have not been revised. “The issues are awareness and maintenance. Cleaning becomes a major concern over time,” an official said. Unlike private operators, state-run services cannot raise fares dynamically to offset maintenance expenses or employ additional cleaning staff.

Officials noted that private operators often supplement revenue through freight carriage and flexible pricing—advantages unavailable to government-run services.

“We operate within a fixed fare structure, so additional expenditure on cleaning or maintenance becomes difficult to recover,” the official added.