Kolkata minibus routes on the verge of becoming extinct – Indiatimes.com

KOLKATA: Just like yellow taxis, the red and yellow minibuses of the city are in danger of being completely wiped out from the city’s public transport system. A rough estimate by the city’s minibus unions puts October 2025 as the deadline when barely 10 percent of the once 1900-strong fleet will still be in a condition to hit the road.

A study by the bus lovers’ association, Kolkata Bus-o-pedia, has found that around 10 minibus routes per year – in the past four years – are either on the brink of being shut or completely shut. Barely seven minibus routes (barring those plying from Howrah) of around 45 in the city presently have 20 or more buses left in their fleet, claimed union members. “Losing or severely crippling 40 routes around the pandemic is something that does not augur well for the city’s transport system,” said Aniket Banerjee, general secretary of Kolkata Bus-o-pedia.
Just like for private buses, two factors, taken together, have made the business unviable for bus operators, said experts and operators alike: the first is stricter pollution control norms, which necessitates replacing more than 15-year-old public transport vehicles with more expensive BS-VI buses; the second is an absence of a fare hike, in spite of steep, multiple revisions in fuel price.
What makes the survival of minibuses difficult is the cost of running them. “The cost of running minibuses is barely 5-10 percent less than normal buses. However, compared to the 38 seating spaces and 35-40 standing spaces for buses, we have a seating capacity of 27 passengers and 20-25 passengers can stand. That’s around losing more than 200 passengers per day when compared to a normal bus that makes three trips a day,” explained Swapan Ghosh of the Minibus Operators Coordination Committee.
According to Swapan, barely seven routes have the resources to provide normal services at present. This includes the Tangra-Howrah (40), Golf Green-Howrah (35), Garia BBD Bag/New Town (35), Metiabruz-Shyambazar (23), Metiabruz-Howrah (25) and Rajabazar-Behala (20) routes.
Some of the most popular routes, claims Banerjee who carried out a field study, like Prince Anwar Shah-Nimtala, Jadavpur-Purbachal and Airport to Jadavpur have shut down. Others like Deys Medical to Howrah, Behala Chowrasta to BBD Bag and Joka to Ruby have just one or two buses left in the fleet.
“With fuel prices skyrocketing, and the memories of the effects of the pandemic still afresh, the minibuses of Kolkata have suffered a rather abrupt ending in several important routes. Unless the government intervenes, no owner will risk buying new buses of the BS-VI variety,” said Pradip Narayan Bose of West Bengal Bus & Minibus Owners’ Association.