The Holi festival in 2024 has led to a surge in demand for transportation, causing a rush for seats on trains and buses. Buses heading to states like Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha are completely packed. With Holi being celebrated in three days, people are making preparations...
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and shopping for the festival. Those working in distant cities are returning home to celebrate. This has led to massive crowds at bus stands and railway stations, especially for buses to North India. Bus operators have increased fares by 15-20 percent due to the increased demand. They are also considering adding more buses to accommodate the surge. Some bus operators are even providing extra seating with stools in the gap between the seats. The influx of passengers is especially high for routes to cities like Garhwa, Rehlah, Daltonganj, Ranchi, Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Bihar Sharif, Aurangabad, Sherghati, Raniganj, Dobhi, Sheikhpura, Barbigha, and Nawada. Passengers are reporting difficulty finding seats on trains due to the high demand and the closure of Tatkal ticket bookings. The demand for bus tickets is also high, with advanced bookings for March 23rd and 24th already in place. Some passengers are reporting paying double the usual fare for bus tickets due to the high demand. Travel agencies are also exploiting the situation by charging exorbitant prices for cabs. The demand for tickets has resulted in long queues at railway stations, with people resorting to offline bookings due to online booking issues.