Metro

Despite the occasional power failure or other problem, Calcutta's Russian-designed Metro, inaugurated in 1984, is a striking contrast to the congested streets above. Trains operate fairly punctually every few minutes. Services start at 8am (3pm on Sun) and run until 8.30pm.
There is only a single north-south line which runs from Dum Dum near the airport, to Tollygunge in the south. The important stops are: Park Street, Rabindra Sadan, Esplanade, Kalighat. Escalators are provided at some of the stations - offering thrills to country cousins visiting from outside the city. A PA system inside the compartments, and announcements made in 3 languages - Bengali, Hindi and English - offer help to first-time travellers. For the others, the melodious voice saying "Doroja bandho kora hochche. Darwaze bandh ho rahen hain. Doors are closing" is so routine that they heed the words without really hearing them.

 Buses and minibuses

Calcutta has a vast bus network, which is in operation each day between 5am and 11pm. You will be subject to overcrowding and possibly get your pocke t picked if not careful - but then, where in the world can you travel as cheaply as 1 rupee (one-forty-fifth of a US dollar)? The faint of heart milk baulk a little to see the buses trundling along, with ten to twelve men and sometimes women hanging outside by a toe-hold or finger-hold. Most of the buses belong to private companies; the red double-deckers and elongated trailer buses belong to the Calcutta Transport Corporation - CTC.
Private brown-and-yellow minibuses offer a slightly more expensive option. Their destinations are usually painted in Bengali and English on the sides, and conductors shout them out at bus stops or major junctions. Originally intended as seating-only services, they long started taking on standing passengers.

 Taxis

Taxis in Calcutta are good value for money. Most operate on meters, although you will most likely be asked to pay more if travelling late at night. 99 per cent of the taxis are old Ambassadors. Because of constantly-changing fares, most of the time, you pay not the price on the meter, but a figure produced with the help of a fare conversion table, which the driver must carry.

 Trams

Trams started operating in Calcutta in 1873. In the 21st century, some of the trams you see are of 19th century vintage. There have been moves to get the cumbersome vehicles off the rods - or tracks - until they really go, one is advised to get one if in no particular hurry to get anywhere. The women's only coaches are a novelty for tourists.

 Car rental companies

These include Car Rent Services, 233-4A AJC Bose Rd (441 285); Durgapur Automobiles, 113 Park St (294 044); New Lakshmi Travels, 296 Rashbehari Ave (440 5317); Rent-a-Car Service, 1-5 Dover Lane (467186); Sona International, 17 Surya Sen St (241 6186); and Wheels on Road, 150 Lenin Sarani (273 081). The Government of India Tourist Office and most large hotels also arrange cars. Typical charges are around Rs100 per hour plus Rs4.50 per km with a minimum charge of Rs500.

Rickshaws

Calcutta has the dubious honour of being one of the few cities in the world to have human-drawn rickshaws. There are also a large number of cycle-drawn rickshaws in the city. Those in South Calcutta operate between fixed points - usually, two rickshaw stands in neighbouring localities.
Auto-rickshaws These are used as shared taxis on certain routes and link with Metro stations like Kalighat and Tollygunge. Fixed fares make decisions easy.

Ferry

The ghats near Eden Gardens form the hub of a ferry system. There is a regular service from Chandpal Ghat to Howrah Station, while other routes head downriver from Armenian Ghat, Chandpal or Babu Ghats to the Botanical Gardens.