The Delhi and Bihar governments have jointly deployed 77 buses from Anand Vihar Bus Terminal in Delhi at subsidised fares to ferry Chhath Puja devotees travelling home to Bihar, Delhi Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh announced on Thursday, November 12.

Source: Nation Press

The 77 buses are spread across five Bihar divisions: Muzaffarpur gets 36 buses, Patna 13, Purnea 12, Gaya Ji 10 and Darbhanga 6. Discounted fares apply across Non-AC Seater, Non-AC Sleeper, AC Seater and AC Sleeper categories.

Source: Bizz Buzz

77buses deployed from Anand Vihar
36buses for Muzaffarpur, the largest share
₹134–₹1,028fare saving per passenger, depending on route and category
18routes in the proposed Delhi–Bihar reciprocal transport agreement

What passengers save

Passengers stand to save between ₹134 and ₹1,028 depending on the route and bus category. On the busy Patna–Delhi corridor, the Non-AC Seater fare has been cut from ₹1,615 to ₹1,221, while the AC Seater fare has come down from ₹1,980 to ₹1,361, the minister said.

Singh said Chhath Puja holds immense cultural and emotional significance for lakhs of people from Bihar and Purvanchal living in Delhi, and that under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta the Delhi government was committed to working with the Bihar government so passengers can travel home safely and affordably.

A longer-term transport pact

The deployment is an initial step toward a proposed Reciprocal Transport Agreement between Delhi and Bihar covering 18 interstate routes to destinations including Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Purnea, Araria, Kishanganj, Buxar, Nawada, Madhubani and Biharsharif. Operations will be monitored for passenger demand before more routes and services are added in phases, officials said.