MSRTC runs about 800 extra daily trips from Pune for Diwali; all 125 special services booked out

Getting a bus ticket home for Diwali is becoming difficult for many passengers. Reservations on all 125 special services run by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) from Pune are already full.

Given the rising demand and crowds in the festival season, the corporation has stepped up operations. It has arranged around 800 additional trips every day from Pune's Vallabh Nagar.

Temporary boarding facilities have been set up for passengers heading to Marathwada, Vidarbha and North Maharashtra. Parking is also available at the terminal for those who come in their own vehicles, who can leave them there and board the bus in comfort.

Passengers bound for Western Maharashtra have been directed to Swargate, from where buses are running to places such as Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur.

The aim of running buses from different points is to keep passengers travelling to different regions from crowding into a single terminal. The arrangement is especially necessary during the holidays, because students, salaried employees and labourers living in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad travel to their home towns and villages at this time.

Because of the rise in bookings, the additional services are running alongside the regular daily bus timetable. Even so, all 125 Diwali special services are fully booked, so passengers who have not yet found a seat will have to look for space on other services.

Bookings and seat availability can be checked on MSRTC's official online reservation portal or at its ticket counters. Passengers have been advised to confirm their boarding point according to their destination before leaving home, so that they board the bus at the right place.