The world’s longest London — Calcutta bus route

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

The bus route from London to Calcutta 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 left on April 15, 1957 and arrived in Calcutta on June 5.

The bus was traveling from the UK 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 2,062 pounds (185 thousand rubles). Later, in the 70s, the ticket went up to 145 pounds.

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

Each place was serviced 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”.

A route for the curious

On the way, passengers were offered a cultural program. On 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 make purchases.

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

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