Delhi Government plans 18 direct bus routes to Bihar towns

Delhi's government has initiated a move to launch direct bus services to Bihar, requesting the transport department to draft an inter-state reciprocal transport agreement with Bihar for connecting 18 different points in the adjoining state with Delhi.

The draft agreement has suggested service of stage carriers on routes linking Delhi to Patna, Gaya, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur, Araria, Purnea, Kishanganj and other towns of importance. The move aims to enhance inter-state public transport for the millions travelling between Delhi and Bihar.

“The demand for Delhi-Bihar travel is high almost throughout the year as a large number of people from Bihar stay in Delhi and the demand peaks during festivals,” said an official.


Read More: JNU cancels permission for Umar Khalid book discussion, cites 'non-disclosure of full facts'

As per the proposed arrangement, the permit quota for Delhi and Bihar is 12 buses respectively for all the identified routes. The services will operate in both directions between the two locations.

The approved routes are 4 between Delhi and Patna, and two each between Delhi and Gaya and Muzaffarpur. Other destinations identified include Bihar Sharif, Buxar, Darbhanga, East Champaran, Kishanganj, Madhubani, Nawada, and Purnea.

The longest route proposed is the one from Delhi to Kishanganj measuring around 1,416 km. The other two proposed routes between Delhi and Purnea and Delhi and Araria are approximately 1,390 and 1,348 km respectively. The proposed Delhi-Patna services will cover between 1,045 km and 1,182 km, depending on the route and alignment.

The draft also prescribes standards for vehicles to be used. According to rules, only BS VI-level diesel buses will be allowed, apart from CNG and electric buses. It specifies that diesel stage carriage buses should not be more than 10 years old, while petrol/CNG vehicles should not be more than 15 years old, except in cases of order of the Supreme Court, NGT, and the Union Government.

Read More: India’s education spending share drops below UNESCO’s 15% standard

Additionally, the buses must be equipped with tracking systems and an emergency button, as stipulated by central legislation. The buses must have starting and ending points in terminals recognised by the relevant authorities.

Only legally designated state transport companies or bus operators with appropriate permits can run stage carriage services above the distances from Delhi to Bihar. If there is no regular permit due to a planned transportation scheme regardless of whether the state will issue an urgent permit for 4 months or not, it will be necessary to obtain consent from the other state.

Various routes covered by the buses should run through big cities and towns in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar such as Noida, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and Ara.
The schedule of the service will be established after discussions between the states concerned. The fares will be established based on the laws of those states concerned including passenger taxes or stops.