Patna: The Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) has announced a special bus service for the upcoming festive season, aimed at easing travel for passengers returning home for Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath. The services will begin on September 20 and continue until November 30, covering routes to Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana and West Bengal.
Given the sharp rise in festive demand, BSRTC will operate 65 buses daily on the Delhi route, departing from Patna, Muzaffarpur, Purnia, Gayaji and Darbhanga to Anand Vihar between 2 pm and 8 pm. In addition, 30 buses will be operated to Haryana, available in both AC seater and sleeper categories.
Other major routes have also been scheduled. The Kolkata-Patna service will run at 6 pm, 7.30 pm and 8.30 pm. Non-AC seater buses will depart from Ghaziabad to Patna at 2 pm and from Patna to Ghaziabad at 4 pm. From Delhi, buses to Gayaji will leave at 1.30 pm, 4 pm and 9 pm, with return journeys at 3.30 pm and 4.30 pm. Delhi-Purnia services will operate with departures at 1 pm from Delhi and 11 am from Purnia, while Kolkata-Gayaji buses will run between 4 pm and 9 pm.
To make travel more affordable, the state government has announced a passenger subsidy of Rs 24 crore and an additional Rs 36.35 crore subsidy for bus operators. On the Patna-Delhi route, an AC bus fare of Rs 1,873 will cost passengers Rs 1,254 after subsidy, while non-AC buses priced at Rs 1,527 will cost Rs 1,133. AC sleeper services, with fares of Rs 2,812, will be available for Rs 1,893.
All buses will have fixed fares to prevent overcharging and will offer digital payment options including UPI, debit cards and net banking. The move is expected to provide relief to migrant workers and families travelling back to Bihar for the festive season.
