The West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) is a state-owned public transport operator headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It provides bus, tram and waterway services across the Kolkata metropolitan area and parts of the state, functioning under the Department of Transport, Government of West Bengal.
| Name | West Bengal Transport Corporation |
|---|---|
| Type | State government undertaking |
| Industry | Public transport |
| Area served | West Bengal, primarily the Kolkata metropolitan region |
| Headquarters | Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Owner | Government of West Bengal |
| Parent department | Department of Transport, Government of West Bengal |
| Services | City and intercity buses, trams, ferry services |
The WBTC was constituted through the consolidation of legacy state transport undertakings that had historically operated road and rail-based public transport in and around Kolkata. These included the Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC), the Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC) and the West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (WBSTC), which had been responsible respectively for state buses, the Kolkata tram network and surface transport including ferries and intercity buses. The merger was undertaken to streamline administration, reduce duplication and bring the various modes under a single corporate entity.
WBTC operates a fleet of city buses in Kolkata as well as intercity and suburban routes connecting Kolkata with district towns across West Bengal. The fleet includes ordinary, air-conditioned and electric buses, with progressive induction of battery-electric vehicles in the Kolkata fleet as part of urban clean-mobility initiatives.
The corporation runs the Kolkata tram network, one of the oldest electric tramways in Asia and the only operational tram system in India. Tram routes traverse central and northern parts of the city.
WBTC operates ferry services on the Hooghly River, linking Kolkata with Howrah and other riverside locations, providing an alternative to road and rail commuting across the river.
As one of the principal mobility providers in eastern India, WBTC plays a central role in everyday commuting in Kolkata and supports intercity connectivity within West Bengal. Its custodianship of the Kolkata tramways gives it heritage significance, while its electric bus rollout positions it among Indian state transport undertakings adopting cleaner urban transport technologies.