Here’s a more detailed look at the early development of state-run road transport services in India, based on the two milestones you mentioned:
Date: June 1932
Location: Hyderabad State (now in Telangana)
Significance: This was India’s first organized motor transport service run by a princely state.
Operated under the Nizam’s Government as an extension of Nizam’s State Railways.
The initial route covered 24 kilometers.
Fleet size: 27 buses.
Depots: 3 depots were set up for operations and maintenance.
Each bus could seat 25 passengers, a considerable capacity for that time.
The service was designed to complement the rail network, connecting areas not covered by trains.
It laid the foundation for state-run bus services in India.
This eventually evolved into what is today known as the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC).
Date of Inception: 31 July 1948
Location: Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal
Significance: First state-controlled road transport corporation formed after independence.
The CSTC was created by the Government of West Bengal.
It marked the beginning of formal, government-run urban transport in post-independence India.
CSTC operated under the Motor Vehicles Act, which allowed state governments to run passenger services.
Initially aimed at providing affordable and accessible public transport in Kolkata and surrounding areas.
Played a crucial role in urban mobility and economic recovery in the immediate post-partition years.
In 1960, CSTC was formally restructured under the Road Transport Corporations Act, 1950.
The success of both the NSRTD and CSTC inspired other states to launch similar services.
Road Transport Corporations (RTCs) were established across India from the 1950s onward.
BEST (Mumbai)
APSRTC (Andhra Pradesh, now split into TSRTC and APSRTC)
MSRTC (Maharashtra)
KSRTC (Karnataka)
TNSTC (Tamil Nadu)
Today, India has over 50 State Road Transport Undertakings (SRTUs), carrying millions of passengers daily.
