In a unique move that can encourage commuters in Kolkata to shift to public transport, the West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) has launched a daily travel pass that will entitle them to unlimited rides on any of the city’s buses, trams and ferries.
The Travelpass was introduced on January 21 and costs ₹100. It will particularly benefit visitors wanting to explore different corners of Kolkata and also get a taste of tram travel and a ride across the Hooghly. The daily pass can be used on air-conditioned buses and trams as well.
“The idea is to make multimodal transport within the city easy and seamless. It’s mainly focussed on those who are exploring the city for fun or who travel multimodal distances regularly,” WBTC managing director Rajanvir Singh Kapur told The Hindu .
The idea dawned on him when, sometime ago, a friend of his who had stopped over in Kolkata on his way to Odisha spent ₹3,000 to hire a cab for 10 hours. “With a Travelpass, you can travel as much as you like in the City of Joy. You can take the ferry from Howrah to Millennium Park, hop on a bus from there or catch a tram from Esplanade to see the iconic book market: College Street,” Mr. Kapur said.
When clubbed with the Pathadisha app that has the schedule of buses and ferries, the Travelpass is expected to come in handy particularly for tourists and first-time visitors to Kolkata. The pass is available with conductors on buses and trams and at ferry ticket counters. It is also available at all points of sale of the WBTC as well as at the airport and the Sealdah and Howrah railway stations.
Trampass launched
Simultaneously, the WBTC has also launched the daily Trampass, also available for ₹100 per person, specially designed for those who want to enjoy the iconic trams of Kolkata. “One can hop on to any AC or non-AC tram. One can travel in the tram library or any special tram. The main incentive of Trampass is the free joyride on Paat Rani: the jute tram. A normal ride costs ₹99, but here you get that and all trams and a free entry to Tram World Kolkata, entry to which is otherwise ₹30,” Mr. Kapur said.
He plans to soon hold a meeting with the association of hotels to ensure that the two passes are available in all five- and four-star hotels in Kolkata. “These passes will not only benefit tourists, they could also change the way people travel. The Travelpass can encourage them to eventually migrate to public transport,” he said.
