Ahmedabad Diwali bus service will receive 1,800 additional trips between November 2 and November 8, as the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation’s Ahmedabad division prepares for a seasonal rise in passengers travelling to their hometowns and holiday destinations.
The additional services will operate alongside regular buses from Geetamandir, Ranip and other bus stands across Ahmedabad. The plan is intended to manage higher travel demand during the Diwali vacation, when many residents leave the city for Saurashtra, Kutch, Kathiawar and Panchmahal.
The Ahmedabad division has identified several routes for the special operations. Additional buses will run towards Sanand, Botad, Amreli, Junagadh, Rajkot and Bhuj in the Saurashtra, Kutch and Kathiawar regions. Services will also be expanded towards Dahod, Zalod, Bariya, Santrampur and Godhra in the Panchmahal region.
The transport corporation will assess passenger demand on individual routes and operate further additional services where required. The announcement does not specify a route-wise timetable, fares or the exact number of trips assigned to each destination.
A separate group-booking facility will allow societies, organisations and other passenger groups to arrange a complete bus through the corporation’s ‘Bus Aapne Dwaar’ scheme. Under the arrangement, a bus can be sent to the entrance of the society or another agreed local pickup point, allowing passengers to board closer to home and travel directly to their destination.
The pickup facility is aimed at groups travelling together during the holiday period. It could reduce the need for passengers carrying luggage to first travel to Geetamandir, Ranip or another bus stand, although access to the service depends on a group booking an entire bus through the scheme.
The arrangement also shows how seasonal demand affects the functioning of Ahmedabad’s intercity public transport network. During peak travel periods, the pressure is not limited to the main terminals. Demand is distributed across residential areas, established bus stands and routes connecting the city with districts where large numbers of residents have family or social ties.
The Ahmedabad ST division’s plan covers the seven-day period from November 2 to November 8, 2026. Regular bus operations will continue from the city’s existing terminals, while the additional services will be deployed on routes where passenger numbers are expected to be higher. Further route-level details are to be determined according to demand.
