Kolkata bus night parking is set to resume under the earlier token-based system after a meeting between Transport Minister Arjun Singh and representatives of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicates, easing a dispute that had intensified following police action against buses parked on city roads.
The decision was taken at a meeting held on Wednesday, according to the report. Private bus owners will be allowed to park at night against a government token and a monthly fee of Rs 700. The arrangement is expected to cover Kolkata and adjoining areas and restore the earlier system under which buses could remain parked between 10 pm and 5 am.
The dispute had grown after police began taking action against buses parked illegally in several parts of the city. Notices and enforcement were reported in various police station areas, along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass and at important bus terminals such as Tollygunge. Bus owners had also been instructed to keep buses in a single line on key roads, adding to the operational pressure on operators.
Tapan Bandyopadhyay, general secretary of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicates, said the night-parking arrangement was originally introduced after discussions between the bus operators and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Under the earlier token system, bus owners paid Rs 500 per month to park on roads between 10 pm and 5 am. The fee was later increased to Rs 700 during the tenure of mayor Bikash Bhattacharya, and the arrangement continued for several years, according to the syndicate.
The system subsequently weakened as enforcement by the civic body and police became less consistent. At the same time, several of the earlier parking locations were developed for housing, leaving bus owners with fewer places to keep their vehicles after daily operations ended. The operators had therefore sought access to government bus depots as an alternative night shelter for private buses.
The syndicate said its representatives approached the transport minister on September 9. After being briefed on the issue, the minister directed officials of the department to take administrative steps for the quick reintroduction of night parking. The new decision allows owners to obtain valid government tokens and park at designated roadside locations under the earlier monthly payment structure.
The arrangement is intended to address two linked problems: the lack of authorised parking space for private buses and the enforcement action faced by operators when vehicles are left on public roads without formal permission. The operators’ organisation said the decision would reduce daily police action and fines while also increasing revenue for the state government through the parking fee.
A transport department official quoted in the report said the minister was pursuing measures to improve transport services and raise departmental revenue. The official said the restoration of night parking would create an additional revenue channel for the department. The bus owners’ organisation expressed hope that the system would be fully operational before the upcoming Durga Puja period.
