The Gujarat government has announced plans to launch five new bus services to the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, set to begin on February 4. These buses will run from Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, and Rajkot, with the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) handling operations. The announcement was made by Minister of State for Transport, Harsh Sanghavi, on Sunday.
Currently, one bus from Ahmedabad to Prayagraj has been operational since January 27, and a second bus will begin service from Ahmedabad on February 4. This will bring the total number of buses operating between Ahmedabad and Prayagraj to two.
Addressing a long-standing demand for a Surat-Prayagraj bus service, the state government has also decided to introduce two buses on the Surat-Prayagraj route, effective from February 4. Lok Sabha MP Mukesh Dalal had previously written to Minister Sanghavi requesting the service.
The buses from Surat and Rajkot will make night halts at Baran, located at the Madhya Pradesh border, on the first and third nights of the journey. The buses from Ahmedabad and Vadodara will halt at Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh on the same nights.
Passengers on all five buses will need to make their own arrangements for accommodation in Prayagraj. The per-person package charges are Rs 7,800 from Ahmedabad, Rs 8,300 from Surat, Rs 8,200 from Vadodara, and Rs 8,800 from Rajkot.
Online booking for the new bus services will begin on February 2, 2025, at 5 pm through the GSRTC website.
The existing GSRTC bus service between Ahmedabad and Vadodara has been fully booked until the end of the Maha Kumbh Mela. The package for this existing service includes stay facilities at the state government’s pavilion in Prayagraj.
However, the new services, starting February 4, do not include accommodation, as many pilgrims prefer to arrange their stay near their preferred bathing locations. Several Gujarat-based saints and ashrams provide free lodging and meal facilities in Prayagraj.
Due to the long travel distances, all five buses will make night halts at GSRTC-arranged facilities in Madhya Pradesh before continuing on to Prayagraj.
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