The initiative is based on public-private partnership with Kaushik Logistics Limited as a franchisee of the WBSTC.

“We have decided to pay Rs 35,000 as royalty to the WBSTC per bus per month,” said Gautam Banerjee, Executive Director, Kaushik Logistics.

Introducing the new service, Minister for Transport Subhas Chakraborty said the luxury Volvo service was an add-on to the existing efforts by both the governments to encourage travel and tourism across the border.

“We had to give the franchisee to Kaushik Logistics as the company that was holding the contract earlier could not do a good job,” he added.

Contracts with the old firm were terminated six months ago as they were too many complaints about the quality of service provided by it.

Muhammad Imran, Bangladesh’s Deputy High Commissioner to India, said quality bus and train services were essential as very few people from the two countries can afford to travel by air.

“The Volvo service will be a boon to the people of Bangladesh as the statistics from our embassy show that most of the people availing of the bus services are Bangladeshi nationals,” he said.

The Kolkata-Dhaka Volvo bus service will be jointly operated by Kaushik Logistics, WBSTC and the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation.

Abiding by the Indo-Bangladesh protocol agreement, two buses will travel from India and the fare for a return journey will be Rs 1,090, or $24. Each bus will have a seating capacity of 45 with individual reading lights, powerful air suspension and comfortable seats for the elderly and the physically challenged.

The buses will operate from Kolkata on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and the 380-km journey to Dhaka will be completed in approximately 10 hours. Tickets can be booked online from Friday.