West Bengal to allow private buses after lockdown ends on May 4: CM

Operator unions suggested that more clarity is needed regarding the red and orange zones as a bus may have to cross such zones in its course of the permitted route

West Bengal will allow private buses to run from May 4 when a lockdown to contain the coronavirus is scheduled to end, aiming to resume public transport.

Besides government-run bus networks like West Bengal Transport Corporation, South Bengal State Transport Corporation and North Bengal State Transport Corporation, private bus network is a key lifeline for daily commuters in the state. In Kolkata only, more than 9,000 buses ferry passengers daily on a normal day.

West Bengal’s chief minister Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday said, “Private bus operators are also facing economic hardships. We have decided to allow private buses to ply