Patna: The Bihar government has announced discounted fares for inter-state bus services during the festive season, with passengers set to benefit from lower ticket prices on routes to Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
The Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) will operate AC, non-AC and AC sleeper buses under the PPP model, each with a capacity of 50–60 seats. The scheme aims to provide affordable travel for migrant workers and families returning home for Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath between September 20 and November 30.
On the Bhagalpur–Ambala route, passengers will pay Rs 2,490 for an AC sleeper bus instead of the actual fare of Rs 3,603, a saving of Rs 1,113. Non-AC bus tickets on the same route will cost Rs 1,490, reduced from Rs 2,122.
For Patna–Delhi travellers, the AC bus fare has been fixed at Rs 1,254, down from Rs 1,873, with the government bearing Rs 619 of the cost. Non-AC bus fares have been reduced to Rs 1,133 from Rs 1,527, while AC sleeper bus passengers will pay Rs 1,893 instead of Rs 2,812.
The buses will connect Bihar to major cities including Delhi, Ambala, Gurugram, Panipat, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Ranchi, Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kolkata, Siliguri and Durgapur. Services will run daily from towns such as Araria, Purnia, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Begusarai, Patna and Motihari.
Online booking for these services opened on September 1 via the BSRTC portal. Officials said the scheme is designed to ensure safe and affordable journeys for passengers during peak festive travel demand.
