Patna: The Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) has announced special bus services connecting Bihar with Delhi, Kolkata, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Jharkhand to cope with the festive season rush.
The service, which began on September 20 and will run until November 30, is expected to provide relief to thousands of travellers returning home for Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath. Online booking has been open since September 1.
Fares have been standardised to prevent private operators from overcharging. For instance, an AC bus from Bhagalpur to Delhi has been fixed at Rs 1,487, while an AC sleeper will cost Rs 2,200. Officials said the move was designed to “curb arbitrary fares and ensure affordable travel.”
Daily departures are scheduled across key routes. On the Kolkata-Patna line, buses will leave at 6 pm, 7.30 pm and 8.30 pm. Services from Delhi to Bhagalpur will operate at 1.30 pm, 4 pm and 9 pm. Ghaziabad–Patna buses will run at 2 pm and 4 pm in either direction, while Purnia–Delhi will have departures at 11 am and 1 pm. Kolkata–Bhagalpur services will also run in the evenings.
Given high demand, BSRTC has allocated around 65 buses exclusively for the Delhi–Bihar route. Services will operate from Patna, Muzaffarpur, Purnia, Gaya and Darbhanga to Anand Vihar in Delhi, with departures between 2 pm and 8 pm.
