The book is meant as a case study of different modes of transport provided by different agencies, under public and private ownership, in the Calcutta metropolitan area, and the economic and operational efficiency of these modes and agencies. The Calcutta State Transport Corporation, being the principal agency responsible for the road-based transportation system, attracts special attention and forms the theme of this study in a large measure. Unlike in Bombay and Madras, private buses have been playing an important role in the overall transportation system of Calcutta. The growth of private bus transport has been primarily due to the inadequacy of the nationalized transport system. The author attempts a comparative study of the economic and operational efficiency of the Corporation and that of private operators with a view to proposing measures for improvement in the Corporation’s performance and to justify the continuance of private operators. Future plans for mass transportation facilities too have been dealt with. Programming models for efficient allocation of buses and illustrative application of the models have also been touched upon.
July-August 1978, volume 3, No 1