Every Kolkata commuter knows the specific indignity of watching a government bus slow down, look at you, and then pull away. It happens most often to women waiting alone at a stop, and until now the only real recourse was to complain to whoever was standing next to you. That has changed. The West Bengal Transport Department has set up dedicated 24-hour control rooms for complaints about government bus services, and it has published a separate number for each state transport undertaking.
This is a small announcement that could matter quite a lot day to day, so it is worth knowing exactly which number applies to which bus, and what these control rooms will and will not do.
The Five Numbers
The Transport Department has listed one helpline per undertaking. Use the one that matches the bus you were actually travelling on or waiting for, because the complaint has to reach the depot that runs that service.
- NBSTC (North Bengal State Transport Corporation): 9046229025
- SBSTC (South Bengal State Transport Corporation): 7699993930
- CTC (Calcutta Tramways Company): 8697733391 and 8697733392
- CSTC (Calcutta State Transport Corporation): 033-22360462 and 033-22360463
- WBSTC (West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation): 9432597098
One point of local confusion worth clearing up. CTC, CSTC and WBSTC have operated under the West Bengal Transport Corporation umbrella since the 2016 merger, and most Kolkata passengers now think of all of them simply as WBTC buses. The department has nonetheless listed separate control room numbers for each legacy undertaking, so if you are not sure which one your bus belongs to, check the route board or the ticket, which usually carries the operator name. If you genuinely cannot tell, the CSTC landline is the safest starting point for a city route.
These numbers have been announced by the department through the press. If you are noting them down for later, it is worth cross-checking against the official Transport Department portal at transport.wb.gov.in, since control room numbers do get reassigned.
What You Can Actually Report
The department has been fairly specific about what prompted this. Two categories of complaint were driving it.
The first is buses failing to stop for women passengers waiting to board. This is the complaint that appears to have forced the issue, and anyone who has stood at a stop on a Kolkata arterial road in the evening will recognise the pattern. The second is misconduct by conductors and other bus staff.
Beyond those, the control rooms are meant to take general complaints about government bus services. A department official said the numbers exist so that anyone can complain to the control room at any hour of the day about bus services or a conductor behaving badly. Officials will act on complaints and escalate cases to senior authorities where required.
How to Make a Complaint That Actually Goes Somewhere
Control rooms live or die on whether the complaint contains enough detail to identify the vehicle and the crew. A call that says a bus did not stop for me in Behala cannot be actioned. A call with a registration number can.
- Note the bus registration number before anything else. If the bus is pulling away, photograph the rear plate. This is the single most useful piece of information you can give.
- Record the route number, the stop, and the time as precisely as you can manage.
- If you are complaining about a conductor, the ticket itself is evidence. It carries the route, the depot and often the shift. Keep it.
- Call the number matching the undertaking that runs the bus, not a general number, or the complaint will need rerouting before anyone can act.
- Ask for a complaint or docket reference at the end of the call, and note who you spoke to. Without a reference you have no way to follow up.
- If the matter is safety related and immediate, treat it as a police matter first. A 24-hour transport control room is for service complaints and staff conduct, not for an emergency in progress.
The Other Transport Measures Announced Alongside
The helplines came as part of a wider set of Transport Department measures, and a couple of them will show up in daily life in Kolkata soon enough.
The department has launched a drive to recover outstanding motor vehicle tax. According to the VAHAN database, roughly Rs 1,589 crore is pending against 3,62,622 vehicles, and the recovery exercise is targeting persistent and high value defaulters. If you own a vehicle with lapsed tax, this is a reasonable moment to clear it rather than wait to be found.
The department is also regulating e-rickshaws on national and state highways, an issue that has been building for years on the approaches into Kolkata, and is working on reciprocal transport arrangements to strengthen inter-state connectivity. On road safety, Rs 4.35 crore has been sub-allotted to police authorities for road safety activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What number do I call if a government bus does not stop for me?
Call the control room for the undertaking that runs the bus. NBSTC is 9046229025, SBSTC is 7699993930, CTC is 8697733391 or 8697733392, CSTC is 033-22360462 or 033-22360463, and WBSTC is 9432597098. Buses failing to stop for women passengers is one of the specific complaints these lines were set up to handle.
Are these helplines open at night?
Yes. The Transport Department has described them as 24-hour control rooms, so they are meant to take calls at any hour.
Do these numbers cover private buses and autos?
No. These control rooms are for government bus services run by the state transport undertakings. Complaints about private buses, autos and app cabs go through different channels.
Can I complain about a conductor’s behaviour?
Yes. Alleged misconduct by conductors and other bus staff is explicitly one of the complaint categories these control rooms were created for. Keep your ticket, because it identifies the route and depot.
What happens after I call?
Officials are expected to take necessary action on the complaint and escalate it to senior authorities where required for a faster resolution. Ask for a reference number so you can follow up.
Which undertaking runs my bus?
Inside Kolkata, most buses are CTC, CSTC or WBSTC services now operating under the WBTC umbrella. SBSTC covers South Bengal districts and NBSTC covers the north. The route board and your ticket normally carry the operator name.
The Bottom Line
Publishing five phone numbers is not a fix for Kolkata’s bus service on its own, and whether this matters will depend entirely on what happens after the call is logged. But the specific problem being named here is a real and long standing one, buses that do not stop for women passengers, and naming it is a start. The practical takeaway is simple. Save the number for the undertaking whose buses you use, and if something goes wrong, photograph the registration plate before you do anything else. A complaint with a number attached is the only kind that can be actioned. For more on what runs and when, our guides to late night transport in Kolkata and auto and taxi fares by zone cover the alternatives when the bus does not show up at all.
Sources: Millennium Post report published 5 September 2026 on the West Bengal Transport Department’s 24-hour control rooms for government bus complaints, the published helpline numbers for NBSTC, SBSTC, CTC, CSTC and WBSTC, the motor vehicle tax recovery drive figures from the VAHAN database, and the road safety allocation to police authorities. Readers are advised to confirm current control room numbers against the official Transport Department portal at transport.wb.gov.in.
Featured image: a red and yellow bus on a city road during daytime, photo by Hiki Liu on Unsplash.
