Shuttle bus services change routes, over 30k commuters seek alternatives
Times of India | 7 April 2026
Kolkata: Around 30,000 shuttle bus commuters, dependent on Shuttl and Uber for their daily commute to the IT hubs of Sector V, Newtown and Rajarhat, were forced to change track and opt for alternatives on Monday, after Uber stopped its shuttle bus services.
Uber, though, reiterated that all its other options were available to commuters as usual. While at least one major pan-India company – that originally planned to launch in the city in May – launched itself with around 300 buses on Monday, and at least two other smaller aggregators too announced their presence from multiple spots of south Kolkata, taking the number to 400.
However, even with these additions, the numbers fell short. Given that 800 shuttle buses used to be operated by Uber alone, Monday saw around only 400-plus hitting the roads. It was here that app-bikes filled in with services arranged from the origin points of these services like Ranikuthi, Tollygunge Metro and Behala Chowrasta. A large number of them also waited expectedly outside the Karunamoyee and Sector V stations.
Questions, though, remained on their availability as none have received the necessary permissions from the transport department yet. Also, only 40-seater buses have been chosen by the bigger player, leading to 16-, 26-seaters – the more popular ones as they take lesser time – remained off the road. Three, app union leaders like Indranil Banerjee, the convener for West Bengal Online Cab Operators' Guild, believe that there should be immediate govt intervention to sort out payment issues.
"I took the new service from Greenfield City and since this was a promotional ride, it was pocket-friendly. It was a glitch-free ride and it seems they have entered the market after completing their study," said Anamika Karmakar, who travelled from Sakuntala Park to Unitech in New Town. However, she felt that the cost of passes was a bit on the high side.
"After a decade of operations, we've learned that pricing must work for both customers and operators from the start, because unsustainable pricing often leads to abrupt shutdowns, operational lapses, and eventually stranded commuters. We're building for the long term, which means holding ourselves to a high bar on timeliness, support and predictability for customers," a top company official stated recently.
Another commuter from Garia, though, preferred to take the Metro – first taking the Blue Line and then the Green one – before hailing an auto or an app bike for the last-mile connectivity. "It took me a few extra minutes but was ultimately a viable alternative," said Saptak Bhattacharya from Kamalgazi.
14-seater SUV shuttle services from Behala Chowrasta too saw a large number of takers till 9 am, just like AC buses from WBTC running full from the other end of the city like Rajchandrapur and Barrackpore. Several commuters, though, preferred to wait and watch. "I took a work-from-home option for Monday and took the feedback from colleagues. I will analyse and take the final call on booking a new shuttle service from Tuesday," said Tanusree Haldar, a Jadavpur resident who works at New Town.