Passengers reminisce old bus routes in Salt Lake through joyride

Kolkata: About 140-odd passengers recalled fond memories of three historic bus routes of Salt Lake, two of which are still operational, during a special event involving a joyride in three buses from Kasba to Salt Lake.

The event was organised by a joint effort from Kolkata Bus O Pedia and City Suburban Bus Services. The main attraction of the event was an exhibition of old bus tickets and other memorabilia, presented by the renowned artefacts collector Souvik Roy.

“There is a lack of information regarding old buses running on different routes in the city. People throw away the old bus tickets with which so many fond memories are associated. The exhibition is our attempt to revive people’s love for buses. Presently, there are enough buses that travel to Sector 5. However, on our social media page which has over 3.65 lakh followers, the people of Salt Lake regret the paucity of buses in other parts of Salt Lake. We are also trying to draw attention to this demand,” said Aniket Banerjee, general secretary of Kolkata Bus O Pedia.

The bus journey was flagged off from Paribahan Bhaban II at Kasba by Mohammad Ikhlaq Islam, director of West Bengal Transport Corporation. Three buses travelled to tank number 12 in Salt Lake where a tree plantation was organised in memory of these routes. Following this, the three buses moved in different routes of Salt Lake and New Town and ended at Salt Lake tank number 12.

“It is our small effort in honouring the history and legacy of public transportation in Salt Lake,” said Tito Saha of City Suburban Bus Service.

Route 44A, covering several areas between Howrah Station to Salt Lake Sector 5 (via MG Road, Sealdah, Ultadanga, Karunamoyee), is one of the oldest bus routes of Salt Lake currently in operation.

The 239 route from Shapoorji to Babughat (Yellow Board) travels via Newtown, Salt Lake Sector 5, Sealdah, Esplanade. The other route of the same bus covers from Bikash Bhawan to Babughat (White Board), via Sealdah, Esplanade. Both these routes are operational. 239 A and 239 B, two other routes from Salt Lake, however, have been wound up. The 47 bus route from Laketown to Unitech has stopped totally.