Kolkata: All buses plying on route 45, which operate on three separate routes, went off the road on Wednesday due to unrest between the worker syndicate and the owners.
As a result, commuters from Airport, Baguiati, Kestopur, Chinar Park, Phoolbagan, and Sealdah suffered the most.
There are a total of 102 buses on these routes, which serve as the only crucial link between the Airport-New Town area and Patuli-Garia Station.
"According to workers, they want to enter Subhas Sarobar for route 45A in order to increase the gap between two buses as there is hardly any difference in route between 45 and 45A. The owners, though, do not want that as passengers are few on that alignment. We have 102 buses, with a recent addition of 25 new buses.
Of these, 28 buses ply on the 45B route. The rest, on alternate days, serve 45 and 45A routes. As there are too many buses on the same alignment, we have proposed a new distribution and frequency of buses," said Titu Saha of City Suburban Bus Service.
The owners have now written to the principal secretary of the transport department, demanding an extension through Bypass via Science City-Mathpukur-Chingrighata and right up to Ultadanga-Chinar Park and finally Eco Park, said a route operator.