MSRTC to run extra ordinary buses between Nagpur and Pune from November 2 to 7 for Diwali

There is relief for people travelling home or to their villages for Diwali. The Nagpur division of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has decided to run additional buses between Nagpur and Pune. These will be ordinary buses on the Nagpur-Pune (Chinchwad bus stand)-Nagpur route.

The corporation says the aim is to save passengers unnecessary expense and time, and to make the journey easier and safer. Crowds swell during the biggest festival of the year, and private travel agencies take advantage of the rush to charge arbitrary fares.

The additional ordinary buses from Nagpur to Pune will leave from Nagpur's Ganeshpeth bus stand from November 2 to November 7. For the return, additional buses from Pune's Chinchwad bus stand to Nagpur will run from November 4 to November 7.

Buses from Nagpur to Pune will leave at 9 am, 10 am and 11 am, and then at 12 noon, 1 pm and 2 pm. Buses from Pune to Nagpur will leave at 5.30 pm, 6.30 pm, 7 pm, 7.30 pm, 8 pm and 8.30 pm.

Online booking for seats on these buses has begun, and reservations have been made available date-wise. Passengers can book seats from home on the website npublic.msrtcors.com or through the mobile app MSRTCN. The corporation has also made clear that if seats on these buses fill up and they become houseful, more additional ordinary buses will be put on for reservation at once for the convenience of passengers.

The plan is not limited to Pune. Additional buses are also planned on other major routes of the Nagpur division, including Nagpur-Mahur, Nagpur-Gadchiroli, Nagpur-Gondia and Nagpur-Rajura. Depending on passenger response and demand, and on the number of people travelling, these additional ordinary buses will run from different bus stands.

Every year at Diwali, seats run short and private travel bus operators charge three to four times the normal fare. It is also common for these buses not to leave on time, wasting passengers' valuable time. If MSRTC provides the required number of buses at reasonable, fixed fares, passengers will get considerable relief from this financial exploitation.