Kolkata-London Bus service?

mahmud

I have just read in a magazine (Weekly DESH, old issue) that in 1970 there was a bus service between Kolkata-London. I am interested to know more details about this service. Can anybody help me? Is the information true? What was the route? How long it took t reach London from Kolkata? when did the bus service stop?

Nick-H

I don't suppose it was much good for the daily commute between home and the office!

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somnath

Airbus (http://ax2.old-cans.com/WTC/Airbus%20A300.jpg) ?????

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cyberhippie

Not the "magic bus" maybe!!

sadhuji

i don't think airbus existed in the seventies!!!!!

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Colin

Alan D and his wife Caroline first went to India on that bus, I passed them going in the opposite direction in the Khyber Pass...

somnath

"In 1972 the A300 made its maiden flight and the first production model, the A300B2 entered service in 1974." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus#History


- Somnath

mk26in

Really

sadhuji

certainly not in 1970 as mentioned by mahmud.

mr pastry

How long it took to reach London from Kolkata? When did the bus service stop?

Stopped? I've been standing here for 32 years and it still hasn't arrived! And please don't tell that 3 will come along at once like the number 15's do :-)

mahmud

Not joke, I really seeking the help of senior IMrs (Senior in age not Posting)

somnath

True....

mk26in

Post the scanned Pages of Magazine, you read the info from .

mahmud

At last I got some reliabl information in other ite from a senior citizen of India. I want to share his reply as under :

There were lots of bus sevices to India from Londion in th 70s. Penn tours, Sundowners and I ran a minibus for a couple of seasons before starting a company that took people by public transport from London to Delhi We made 78 trips and it was so sucessful that we started a voucher scheme whereby people could by a book of tickets to travel by themselves, these were sold through Trainfinders and over 1400 people travelled that way until the Shah got kicked out and the Russians came into Afghanistan.

Route was train through europe via Germany and Austria or Paris and Venice then Belgrade, Istanbu, Samsun Trabzone Tabriz Tehran Mashed Herat Kabul Peshawer Lahore Amritsar Delhi

camelgirl

Okee dokee, here's the deal from a certified senior (me). I took an overland bus that went from London to New Delhi in 1975. It took 36 days. It went on the Ferry from Dover over to Belgium and sped along through Europe stopping first in Salzberg Austria. There were 15 people, I was the only American, it was mostly English, Australians, one Spaniard, one Frenchman. It stopped a couple of days in Greece then 5 days in Istanbul where the driver picked up enough people to fill the bus. Then Eastward we went stopping mostly just one night but we did stay 2 & 3 nights in a few places like Teheran & Mashad, Iran; Kahandahar & Kabul, Afghanistan; & Lahore, Pakistan.

These overland buses had several different routes and some went on for up to 2 months. Some went to Kathmandu, some headed south and probably also to Kolkata.

Greatest experience of my life and it's what got me hooked on India and Nepal (where I went on my own after the bus trip).

Hope that answers your questions....It was absolutely true and it was also quite common in the 70's. I used a small company (one bus, one driver) called Transcontinental after my reservation was declined by the more famous "Budget Bus" because it was full.

Oh and it cost $160 for the entire trip plus food (which was next to nothing) & lodging (which was also next to nothing because we shared rooms in cheap places)