Kolkata, April 20 -- Bus services across parts of West Bengal have been curtailed ahead of polling on April 23, with transport operators warning that up to 80 per cent of buses and school vehicles may be off the roads from April 25, disrupting the daily commute for students, office-goers and long-distance travellers.

Officials said nearly 1,000 government buses have been deployed for election duty, including around 230 from WBTC, 340 from NBSTC and 330 from SBSTC, along with a large number of private buses.

The situation is expected to worsen from the morning of April 21, particularly in areas going to polls on April 23.

On Monday, a large number of requisitioned buses were seen stationed at the Maidan to transport security forces.

These are scheduled to move to poll-bound districts on April 21 and April 22. and return with personnel after polling on April 24.

"From Tuesday morning, buses will be difficult to find in poll-bound areas. Many vehicles have already been taken for election and police duty," said Rahul Chatterjee, general secretary of the All Bengal Bus Minibus Samannay Samity.

Several routes have already been hit. Services on route 78/1 (Howrah-Panchla) will remain suspended between April 17 and April 23, and again from April 27 to April 29.

The requisitioning has extended to school buses and pool cars, affecting student transport. Several private schools are considering online classes between April 27 and April 30 due to uncertainty over vehicle availability. "A large number of pool cars have been taken for poll duty. From April 27, we will not be able to transport students, and parents have been informed," said Sudip Dutta, general secretary of the Pool Car Owners' Welfare Association.

Office attendance is also likely to be affected, with several organisations, including IT firms, planning work-from-home arrangements in the last week of April.

Operators said the scale of requisitioning this time is unprecedented, covering buses, pool cars and app-based cabs.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.