This Was ‘World’s Longest Bus Route’ From Kolkata To London

This bus service from London to Calcutta (Kolkata) is considered to have been the longest bus route in the world.

The service, which was started in 1957 and operated by Albert Travel, was routed to India continuing after the UK, to Belgium, through Europe via Yugoslavia, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and West Pakistan. After entering India, it eventually reached Calcutta via New Delhi, Agra, Allahabad and Banaras.

This route became known as the Hippie Route. It took about 50 days for the bus to reach Calcutta from London. The voyage was 32669 km long and was in service until 1976. By then the cost of the trip was £145, including food, travel and accommodation.

The bus was equipped with reading facilities, separate sleeping bunks for everyone, and fan-operated heaters. There was a kitchen with all equipment and amenities. There was a forward observation lounge on the upper deck of the later version of the bus.

The bus provided radio and a music system for parties. It had time to spend at major tourist destinations along the way, including Banaras and the Taj Mahal on the banks of the Ganges. Shopping breaks were organised in Salzburg, Vienna, Istanbul, Kabul and Tehran.

Did you know that there was a bus that used to run in the 1960s from Kolkata ( then Calcutta) in India to London in England? The double-decker bus was known as Albert and the trips covered by it were called Albert tours. Interestingly, this was the world’s longest bus route and one side travel between London and Kolkata on it would cost £145 ( around ₹13518), which was undoubtedly a whopping amount in those days. Rare pictures of the historical bus are now doing rounds on social media and the netizens are loving them

The World’s Longest Bus Route From London To Kolkata

This bus service from London to Calcutta (Kolkata) is considered to have been the longest bus route in the world.

According to a report by Central Western Daily, Andy Stewart, a British traveller had bought the bus in 1968 to travel from Sydney to London via India. On October 8, 1968, he had started from Martin Place, Sydney with 13 co-passengers to cover the journey of nearly 16,000 kilometres. He arrived in London after 132 days, on February 17, 1969. The bus used to travel from England to Sydney via Belgium, West Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, West Pakistan, India, Burma, Thailand, Malaya and Singapore. In India, Albert covered Delhi, Agra, Allahabad, Benaras and finally Kolkata.

Timetables

A year-round time table was created from the operation of Albert across Kolkata, London and Sydney. As per reports, the trips numbered 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, ran right to Sydney. The trips with numbers 12 to 15 ran between London and Kolkata.

Albert Tours Were Profoundly Luxurious

While taking a journey on the Albert bus, one could enjoy luxury at its zenith. The lower deck of the bus had a reading and dining lounge and the upper deck had a forward observation lounge. Also, there was a fully equipped kitchen with all the amenities. For parties, there were arrangements of radio and taped music.

Fan heaters inside the bus helped to keep the travellers warm. Apart from these, the interiors had bright curtains and carpets with individual sleeping bunks. With all these luxury arrangements, Albert was aptly like a ‘home away from home’.

Tourist Spots On The Way Of Albert

While making its way from England to Sydney, Albert passed by breathtaking tourist destinations like the Golden Horn of Istanbul, the Peacock Throne of Delhi, the Taj Mahal of Agra, the Benaras on the Ganges, the Caspian Sea coast, the Blue Danube, the Draconian Pass, the Rhine Valley, the Kyber Pass and Kabul Gorge. Additionally, the package included free shopping days in places like New Delhi, Kabul, Istanbul, Tehran, Vienna, Salzburg and many more. Meanwhile, meet this Kolkata engineer who had left his corporate job to travel for a year.

Albert had completed about 15 tours between Kolkata and England and four trips between England and Australia until 1976. It had crossed nearly 150 borders without many scrutinies and had earned the tag of a ‘friendly ambassador’ in all the nations it traversed. There are oodles of intriguing stories hidden in the pages of history. Unveiling them one after another will leave us spellbound.