Every year, the journey home for Chhath is as much a part of the festival as the arghya at the ghat. Lakhs of migrants from Bihar and Poorvanchal living in Delhi crowd into packed trains and costly private buses to get home. This year, the BJP-led governments in Delhi and Bihar are offering some relief: 77 buses with subsidised fares, running from Anand Vihar Bus Terminal.

Delhi Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh announced the service on Thursday. He said it reflects both governments' shared commitment to easing the festive travel rush and strengthening interstate public transport. Muzaffarpur gets the largest share with 36 buses, followed by Patna (13), Purnea (12), Gaya Ji (10) and Darbhanga (6). The 77 buses are part of a wider festive plan: of the 155 special buses in Bihar's state-wise distribution, Delhi accounts for 77, ahead of Haryana with 60.

What passengers actually save

Fares have been cut across Non-AC Seater, Non-AC Sleeper, AC Seater and AC Sleeper categories, with savings of Rs 134 to Rs 1,028 depending on route and category. On the busy Patna–Delhi route, a Non-AC Seater ticket drops from Rs 1,615 to Rs 1,221, a saving of about 24 percent. The AC Seater falls from Rs 1,980 to Rs 1,361, about 31 percent less. For a family of four, that can mean savings of well over Rs 2,000 on a single trip, which matters at a time when private operators usually raise prices.

"Chhath Puja holds immense cultural and emotional significance for lakhs of people from Bihar and Poorvanchal residing in Delhi. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the Delhi government is committed to working in coordination with the Bihar Government to ensure that passengers can travel home safely and affordably," Singh said.

"The introduction of subsidised fares and additional bus services is an important step towards making public transport more accessible during the festive season," he added.

The real story: a pact that runs beyond the festival

The festival buses are the visible part of the announcement. The bigger news is the proposed Reciprocal Transport Agreement. It would create 18 interstate routes linking Delhi with Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Purnea, Araria, Kishanganj, Buxar, Nawada, Madhubani and Biharsharif. Each route would carry 12 buses from each state, running in both directions, through Uttar Pradesh transit points such as Noida, Agra, Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur and Varanasi. Across 18 routes, that adds up to 432 permits, which matches the permit quota of 432 buses set for operations between Delhi and Bihar reported earlier this year.

The agreement's conditions are strict. Only BS-VI CNG and electric buses will be allowed. Every vehicle must have location tracking and emergency buttons, tickets will be valid in both states, and the pact will last 10 years.

The plan has changed along the way. Late last month, the government planned to initially roll out over 50 air-conditioned luxury buses to seven locations in Bihar, with Pankaj Singh expressing hope the proposal would be approved soon. The 77-bus service now running is a mixed-category version of that plan, covering five divisions.

The minister called the current service "an important beginning". Officials will monitor demand and add routes in phases. Whether the 18-route network works year-round, and not only for festivals, will show whether this is a lasting change for the Delhi–Bihar corridor or a seasonal measure.

Every year, the journey home for Chhath is as much a part of the festival as the arghya at the ghat. Lakhs of migrants from Bihar and Poorvanchal living in Delhi crowd into packed trains and costly private buses to get home. This year, the BJP-led governments in Delhi and Bihar are offering some relief: 77 buses with subsidised fares, running from Anand Vihar Bus Terminal.

Delhi Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh announced the service on Thursday. He said it reflects both governments' shared commitment to easing the festive travel rush and strengthening interstate public transport. Muzaffarpur gets the largest share with 36 buses, followed by Patna (13), Purnea (12), Gaya Ji (10) and Darbhanga (6). The 77 buses are part of a wider festive plan: of the 155 special buses in Bihar's state-wise distribution, Delhi accounts for 77, ahead of Haryana with 60.

What passengers actually save

Fares have been cut across Non-AC Seater, Non-AC Sleeper, AC Seater and AC Sleeper categories, with savings of Rs 134 to Rs 1,028 depending on route and category. On the busy Patna–Delhi route, a Non-AC Seater ticket drops from Rs 1,615 to Rs 1,221, a saving of about 24 percent. The AC Seater falls from Rs 1,980 to Rs 1,361, about 31 percent less. For a family of four, that can mean savings of well over Rs 2,000 on a single trip, which matters at a time when private operators usually raise prices.

"Chhath Puja holds immense cultural and emotional significance for lakhs of people from Bihar and Poorvanchal residing in Delhi. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the Delhi government is committed to working in coordination with the Bihar Government to ensure that passengers can travel home safely and affordably," Singh said.

"The introduction of subsidised fares and additional bus services is an important step towards making public transport more accessible during the festive season," he added.

The real story: a pact that runs beyond the festival

The festival buses are the visible part of the announcement. The bigger news is the proposed Reciprocal Transport Agreement. It would create 18 interstate routes linking Delhi with Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Purnea, Araria, Kishanganj, Buxar, Nawada, Madhubani and Biharsharif. Each route would carry 12 buses from each state, running in both directions, through Uttar Pradesh transit points such as Noida, Agra, Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur and Varanasi. Across 18 routes, that adds up to 432 permits, which matches the permit quota of 432 buses set for operations between Delhi and Bihar reported earlier this year.

The agreement's conditions are strict. Only BS-VI CNG and electric buses will be allowed. Every vehicle must have location tracking and emergency buttons, tickets will be valid in both states, and the pact will last 10 years.

The plan has changed along the way. Late last month, the government planned to initially roll out over 50 air-conditioned luxury buses to seven locations in Bihar, with Pankaj Singh expressing hope the proposal would be approved soon. The 77-bus service now running is a mixed-category version of that plan, covering five divisions.

The minister called the current service "an important beginning". Officials will monitor demand and add routes in phases. Whether the 18-route network works year-round, and not only for festivals, will show whether this is a lasting change for the Delhi–Bihar corridor or a seasonal measure.