Diwali travel to Nagpur costs more, with flights up to Rs 17,799 and bus fares up to Rs 5,000

As Diwali nears, people living away from home are rushing to return to their cities. This time, however, the journey home will weigh heavily on the pocket. Flight and private bus fares to Nagpur have risen sharply, and passengers are having to pay thousands of rupees.

Many people who live in cities such as Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru for work, business or studies are preparing to come to Nagpur to celebrate the festival with their families. But getting a train seat has become difficult. Reservations on trains to Nagpur from Pune and other cities are almost full. Many trains are houseful, leaving passengers with no option but a flight or a private bus. Many have started booking early for this reason.

On online booking sites, air fares have gone from Rs 11,000 up to Rs 17,799. Private bus tickets are also selling at Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000. With more people travelling during the festival, airlines are raising fares in line with demand. If demand falls, prices come down somewhat.

Different companies' sites show different prices for the same route. Some companies are offering credit card discounts, but the base fare has risen so much that the discount is of little real benefit. On the Pune-Nagpur journey, some passengers are paying Rs 12,000, while others are paying Rs 14,000 to Rs 15,000.

According to rates available online, a flight from Bengaluru to Nagpur on November 6 costs Rs 17,000 to Rs 17,799. The fare from Delhi to Nagpur is between about Rs 9,169 and Rs 10,000. Tickets on the Pune-Nagpur and Mumbai-Nagpur routes have crossed Rs 14,000. Fares for flights to Nagpur from Pune, Mumbai and Hyderabad are higher than on other routes.

Bus travel is no longer cheap either. On the Pune-Nagpur route, the bus fare on November 6 is Rs 4,000 to Rs 4,500, while on November 7 it has reached Rs 4,500 to Rs 5,000. On the Hyderabad-Nagpur route too, a bus ticket costs more than Rs 4,000.

Overall, those returning home to celebrate Diwali with their families will have to spend more on travel this time. Passengers who opt for flights or private buses because they could not get railway reservations are likely to see their budgets badly upset.