ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

London–Calcutta bus service

Okay, so imagine you wanted to go on a really, really long journey from London in England to Calcutta in India. That's very far away - you'd have to travel across lots and lots of different countries to get there!

Well, a long time ago, some people had an idea. They thought it would be really cool to set up a bus service that went all the way from London to Calcutta. That way, people could just sit back and relax on a bus and not have to worry about all the complicated things that come with travelling to different countries.

Now, this wasn't just any old bus. It was a very special one that had been specially designed for long journeys. It had lots of comfortable seats, an onboard toilet (very important!), and even places to sleep if you got tired. It was like a little home on wheels!

So, the people who set up this bus service got lots of different bus companies from all over Europe and Asia to work together. They all had to make sure that their buses were reliable and safe, and that they could communicate with each other even when they were in different countries. It was like a big team effort!

And eventually, they did it! The London-Calcutta bus service was born. People could now travel all the way from England to India by bus. They would stop off at lots of different cities and towns along the way, meet lots of new people and experience lots of new cultures.

Of course, it wasn't always easy. Sometimes, there were problems with the buses (like when they broke down), or with the roads (like when there were big potholes). And sometimes, they would have to cross borders and go through big customs checks, which could take a long time. But overall, it was a very exciting and adventurous way to travel.

Unfortunately, the London-Calcutta bus service doesn't exist anymore. It ran from the 1950s to the 1970s, and then stopped. But it's still remembered as a really amazing thing that people did, and it's inspired lots of other people to set up long-distance bus services all over the world. And who knows? Maybe one day, someone will have another brilliant idea and start it up again!