Old MSRTC buses get a new lease of life

(L-R) Pictures of the first AC bus, first MSRTC bus, trailer double decker bus and military war bus

Did you know that the good old state transport's first bus was a wooden Bedford-class bus in silver and blue colour? Or the fact that its fleet also included a double decker bus, a deluxe bus and a trailer double decker? How about the state transport buses that were manufactured for the military during the Indo-China war of 1962 and the Indo-Pak war of 1965?

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), one of India's biggest public transport bus fleets with over 70 years of existence, has recently been quite a hit on social media for a very different reason. It has opened up its 70-year-old archive into digital form, deeming it ‘Vahan Nama', and putting out old nostalgic photographs and authenticated information on every single class of bus that has been used. "The Vahan Nama has been quite popular among bus lovers, commuters and fans. The photo collage and information of a 70-year journey has put many on a nostalgia trip. It's a collection of pictures of state transport (ST) buses from early 1948 to the recent times. The new generation that has seen more app-based travel tools has been amazed to see the transformation of ST buses," says MSRTC managing director and vice chairman Shekhar Channe.

"Every bus fan and many curious commuters always have such questions at the back of their mind - which year did the MSRTC bus launch? Or when did the first AC ST bus run and where did its double decker bus run? Vahan Nama answers all these questions. The pictures of the vintage buses have been picked up quite well by social media," a spokesperson added.

"Many unknown facts like use of double decker buses in semi-urban areas of Nashik and Bhiwandi, the use of the first AC bus as early as 1968 and the use of ST buses during the war have come to limelight because of this archive on social media," he said.