In 1968, an Australian Tour Company established the world’s longest bus route, travelling between different countries like Australia, UK, and India.

We think of buses as a transport best suited for intracity travel at best, and interstate at most. That, however, isn’t the end limit of a bus’s potential. In 1968, Andy Steward, a businessman based in Australia, established a tour company. The company ran a double-decker luxury bus service on the longest bus route ever, between three continents!

The bus, affectionately called ‘Albert’, set on its maiden journey on 8th October 1968, from Martin Place in Sydney, Australia, and returned on 17th February 1969. Over a period of eight years, Albert undertook a total of 16 trips, out of which 15 had return trips as well. The bus made upwards of 150 border crossings and wasn’t ever stopped for major security concerns or scrutiny. The official website also claims that the entire duration of its operation went smoothly, without a single bribe ever being paid!

According to the official website, ten out of the fifteen round trips operated between Calcutta and London. Thus, a majority of its services were offered between London and India. There were five stops for the bus in India- New Delhi, Agra, Allahabad (Prayagraj), Banaras (Varanasi), and Calcutta (Kolkata). During its last trip, Albert the bus was supposed to return to Australia and then be retired, but due to political turmoil in Iran, the trip had to be ended in London.