Odisha Expands Bus Fleet for Maha Kumbh Mela Pilgrims with Four New Buses to Prayagraj

Bhubaneswar: To accommodate the growing number of devotees traveling to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela, the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) has added four more buses to its fleet, a source from OSRTC confirmed on Wednesday.

The new services, which began two days ago, connect various parts of Odisha to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. Bus travel, often more affordable than trains or flights, has become increasingly popular, and OSRTC is also planning to extend services to other pilgrimage destinations like Ayodhya.

This expansion follows the launch of new bus services on January 13, designed to cater to the needs of pilgrims heading to key religious sites for the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025. These buses link Odisha with prominent pilgrimage destinations across the country.

As part of the initiative, OSRTC buses are transporting devotees from four major cities in Odisha—Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Bhawanipatna, and Sambalpur—directly to Prayagraj. The special services will run until February 26, offering comfortable travel options for the pilgrims.

“We are committed to continuing these pilgrimage bus services in the future,” said transport minister Bibhuti Jena.

Additional Secretary of the Transport Department, Laxmikanta Sethi, also mentioned, “We are in discussions with senior officials to secure permits for new buses to Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Ayodhya. For now, two sets of new buses will operate from four locations.”