Bus From London To Kolkata in 1960s.

We always dreamed about travelling around the world either with friends or with family like the one in author Jules Verne's novel "Around The World In 80 Days". Guess what, there was a bus in 1960s which already fulfilled that dream. 

Yes, this news is real. There was a time when

people travelled from London to Kolkata (then Calcutta) by a bus. This bus was called 'albert'. Recent viral image shows passengers at Victoria Coach Station , London, boarding Albert bus for just right before its first journey between London to Kolkata. This journey took about 132 days and the single fare was 85 pounds (Rs 8000). This was world's longest route bus and covered around 16000 km . 

Never thought that something like this had happened in 1950s.

What route did it covered ? 

According to a report by Central Western Daily, after 21 years of service , the bus met with an accident and left it unsuitable for public use . Then Andy Stewart, a British traveller bought it to travel from Sydney to London. He converted it into a mobile home. 

Acoording to High Road For Oz, he started his journey from GPO (general post office) in Martin Place, Sydney, on Tuesday, October 8, 1968 with 13 co-passengers to cover the journey of nearly 16,000 kilometres. He arrived in London after 132 days, on February 17, 1969. According to reports, 'a year-round timetable' was drawn up for a regular service between London, Kolkata and Sydney in what was called Albert Tours. 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.

Acoording to High Road For Oz, trips numbered 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, ran right through to Sydney. The trips numbered 12, 13, 14 and 15 operated between London and Kolkata. On arrival in India, the bus made stops in Delhi, Agra, Banaras and Kolkata. 

Going by the schedule it took 49 days to travel from London to Kolkata. 

Wondering how people managed to spend so many days in a bus !!! 

Albert bus was profoundly luxirious. It had heaters inside to keep the passengers warm. The interiors of the bus had bright curtains and carpets with individual sleeping bunks. The lower deck of the bus had a reading and dining lounge and the upper deck had a forward observation lounge. Radio and taped music were also there which made their parties amazing. Also, there was a fully equipped kitchen with all the amenities.

While taking a journey on the Albert bus, one could enjoy luxury at its best.

            

High Road Oz states that Albert completed 4 trans-Australia crossings and 15 overland adventures between India and Britain between 1968 – 1976.

Ever thought of travelling like this ? 

ALBERT  completed about 15 tours between Kolkata and England and four trips between England and Australia till 1976. It made more than 150 border crossings neither ever being caught up for serious scrutiny, nor offering any bribe to smooth the passage; this at a time when other vehicles were all too often seen marooned at check-posts with neither body panels nor owners.

Think how amazing it was to travel the world in a small bus singing and laughing with different people, having parties at night with dance and music, sight seeing of various beautiful places and much more.