The red double decker buses which define London in UK and Mumbai in India will be back on the streets of Kolkata. These buses were a familiar site on the streets of Kolkata between the 1960s and 1990s when the red government took the red buses off road. In a bid to boost tourism in the city and to allow tourists an unhindered view of the city from the upper deck of the bus, the West Bengal government has decided to re-introduce double decker buses in Kolkata.

Presently, they plan to procure four buses, each costing INR 1 Crore (US$ 141,000). Ashok Leyland, the only Indian company manufacturing double decker buses has not been able to offer the buses in Bharat Stage 6 specification. As a result, the government is in discussion with two companies, one based in Kolkata (Ural India?) and the other in Jamshedpur (Tata Motors?) for procuring these buses.

Decision for inducting more buses will taken based on the public response to the four buses being inducted.

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