The state transport department has introduced 40 bus services in the city and its adjoining areas to meet the needs of the commuters who have to travel long distances every day from one end of the city to the other.
The new bus services starting from today include non AC night buses running between Garia to Barasat. The route between the two emerging towns on the fringes of the city is the longest covered by the night bus services so far. The buses which take the Jessore Road, VIP Road and EM Bypass route, is expected to attract a large number of commuters.
“An AC bus (AC37) is already running on this route and has become very popular,” informed an official of the transport department. “Considering the demand, services of non-AC buses have been started so that the two services are available to cater to the huge demand,” he added.
Another route on the latest list of services is M7B. The buses on this route will connect two other fringes of the city, specifically, the sprawling town of Shibrampur and Howrah Station. According to an official of the transport department, a bus service was operational on this route some time back but was withdrawn later. The route has been revived on high demands from commuters.
However, the biggest draw of the 40 services spread over various parts of the city is the circular bus route with source and destination at Howrah Station covering the central business district.
The buses on this route will ferry passengers along Howrah, Sealdah, Exide, J.L. Nehru Road, Babughat and back to Howrah. The route was popular in the 1990s and is expected to ease the woes of commuters travelling to and from various railway stations.Services on AC-16 between Barisha and Tollygunge, and S37A from Garia to Kazi Para WBTC bus Terminus were also started from today.