The Ahmedabad division of Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) will operate around 1,800 extra buses during the Diwali travel period from 2 November to 8 November, according to a report by Divya Bhaskar. The additional services are intended to meet the expected rise in passengers travelling to their hometowns and holiday destinations.
The special services will be operated from Ahmedabad’s major bus terminals, including Geeta Mandir, Naroda, Krishnanagar, Bapunagar and Ranip. The Ahmedabad ST division has also made arrangements for group bookings on regular buses. Passenger numbers will be monitored on different routes, and additional buses will be deployed where demand is higher.
The extra services will cover routes towards Saurashtra, Kutch and Kathiawar, as well as destinations including Sanand, Botad, Amreli, Junagadh, Rajkot and Bhuj. Additional operations have also been planned towards Panchmahal-region destinations such as Dahod, Zalod, Bariya, Santrampur and Godhra.
The arrangement is aimed at passengers who travel in groups during the Diwali period. Under the bus-at-your-doorstep group-booking facility, a society, organisation or other group can book an entire bus. The ST corporation will then send the bus to the society’s entrance or another agreed location, allowing passengers to board there and travel directly to their destination.
The facility is intended to reduce the need for passengers travelling with luggage to first reach Geeta Mandir or another bus terminal. It also provides a group-based alternative for residents who want to travel together rather than arrange separate journeys to a common destination.
The plan places Ahmedabad’s bus terminals and the city’s inter-district road connections at the centre of the annual Diwali travel movement. Routes towards Saurashtra, Kutch, northern and central Gujarat are expected to receive additional capacity based on passenger demand, while the doorstep facility will allow organised groups to begin their journey from within their residential communities.
The Ahmedabad ST division’s special bus operations will continue from 2 November through 8 November. Additional buses will be added on routes where passenger numbers are higher, while group bookings will be handled for societies, organisations and other travelling groups.
