With Dussehra, Diwali, and Chhath approaching, the Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) will launch special interstate bus services from September 20 to ease festive travel. The service will continue till November 30 and cover states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana, and West Bengal.
Online booking began on September 1, and the corporation has now issued a detailed timetable. In view of heavy demand on the Delhi route, 65 buses will operate daily from Patna, Muzaffarpur, Purnia, Gaya, and Darbhanga to Anand Vihar between 2 PM and 8 PM.
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For passengers travelling to Haryana, 30 AC seater and sleeper buses have been arranged. Special services will also run on the Kolkata-Patna, Ghaziabad-Patna, Delhi-Gaya, Kolkata-Gaya, and Delhi-Purnia routes with multiple daily departures.
To ensure affordable travel, the state government has announced subsidies worth over Rs 60 crore. Under this scheme, passengers will pay reduced fares while the government bears part of the cost:
- AC bus: Rs 1,254 (Rs 619 subsidy)
- Non-AC bus: Rs 1,133 (Rs 394 subsidy)
- AC sleeper bus: Rs 1,893 (Rs 919 subsidy)
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Officials said the fixed fares will prevent private operators from overcharging during the festive rush. All buses will also have digital payment options, including UPI, debit card, and net banking, to ensure safe and cashless transactions.
The BSRTC stated that the scheme is aimed at providing migrant workers and residents of Bihar with safe, reliable, and affordable transport to return home for the festive season.