• Bus revenue dips by 1k per day on metro corridors, operators hope to realign routes
    Times of India | 27 August 2025
  • Kolkata: Buses, both govt and private, have begun losing passengers to the new Metro links, though the situation is not as ‘doomed' as predicted by some transport experts. As expected, almost four days after the East-West Metro began operations, the worst hit were buses plying between Howrah and Sealdah.

    According to Titu Saha of City Suburban Bus Service, two popular Sealdah-Howrah routes, 28 and 71, reported Rs 500-Rs 1,000 less in ticket sales per day per bus. The losses for route 44 have been around Rs 200-500 per bus per day as it covers a longer distance from Baguiati to Howrah. The daily sales earlier ranged between Rs 7,500-9,000 per day.

    "The actual loss of passengers is estimated to be around 50-100 passengers per bus after four trips. We will need to retain them by offering quicker and uninterrupted services," said a route 72 operator, indicating the route may finally plan to extend to Ultadanga-Salt Lake according to its original alignment. | Gold Rates Today in Kolkata | Silver Rates Today in KolkataAccording to bus owners, they have found that even short-distance passengers, those buying Rs 10 tickets, have shifted. "Those plying between Sealdah and Howrah have shifted. But those travelling to, say, Burrabazar or College Street have not changed their mode of transportation yet," claimed a bus owner.

    Saha said they are already looking at some route alignment changes and are hoping for "cooperation" from the RTO. "We might try and avoid the direct Metro routes and try to act as the last mile connector. For this, we need cooperation from both the transport department and Kolkata Police. We are not here to compete with Metro but to augment it," said Saha.

    MD-1, a govt bus route that goes via BBD Bag, the exact route as the Metro, has also ended up losing a large chunk of passengers. "The standing passengers have lessened, but we still have enough passengers to fill up all the seats," said a conductor on this route.

    However, not all bus routes have been equally affected. "S-12, an extremely popular route between New Town and Howrah, has hardly lost any passengers. That is because it provides quick last-mile connectivity. The Salt Lake Depot that operates S-12 said they will be collating sales figures after two weeks to carry out a comparison. 215A, another important link between Salt Lake and Howrah, too, has not reported much passenger loss. "We are aware that some buses will seek to realign their route. Hence, we should not be found lagging in homework when our permissions are sought," said an officer from Lalbazar.
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