The world's longest bus route London - Kolkata

For many, long trips on the bus turn into real torture. Unlike rail transport, road transport cannot provide a high level of comfort. Did you know that people once used the longest bus route in the world, more than 16 thousand kilometers long. It was a flight from London to the Indian city of Calcutta, lasting 50 days!

The bus route from London to Kolkata is considered to be the longest in history. It was launched in 1957 by Albert Travel and existed until 1976. The first bus from the British capital departed on April 15, 1957 and arrived in Calcutta on June 5.

The bus traveled from Great Britain to Belgium, then passed through West Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan. The cost of the trip was 85 pounds one way. Taking into account modern realities, this is 2062 pounds (185 thousand rubles). Later, in the 70s, the ticket price rose to £145.

The ticket price included not only travel, but also food and accommodation. The Albert Travel buses themselves have been specially adapted for such long trips. Each of them had reading areas, a well-equipped kitchen, and separate sleeping areas for each passenger.

Each seat was served by personal heaters and fans. In the early 70s, new buses with an observation deck on the roof began to be released on the route. The salon was also equipped with a music system for organizing parties. As you may have guessed, such trips were most popular among young people. The London-Calcutta flight was even sometimes called the “hippie route”.

Along the way, passengers were offered a cultural program. Along the way, the bus stopped at places popular with tourists. Among them were Vienna, Salzburg, Istanbul, Tehran, Kabul, Varanasi and the Taj Mahal. The stops in these cities were long and travelers could not only see the sights, but also do some shopping.

In the 70s, demand for the longest flight fell. There were many reasons for this. First of all, air transport competed with motor transport. By this time, air tickets had dropped significantly in price and became affordable to many. The increasingly complicated political situation in Central Asia also played a role, making travel no longer safe.