The Delhi-Kathmandu bus service, suspended for over one and half years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will resume from December 15, transport officials said on Tuesday.
A notification issued on Monday by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) stated that the Delhi-Kathmandu bus will operate from Ambedkar Bus Terminal at 10 AM on December 15, said DTC deputy chief general manager (PR) RS Minhas.
After being suspended for 19 months because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Delhi-Kathmandu bus service (Maitri Bus Sewa) have resumed on Wednesday, December 15. However, with the latest threat of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, passengers on Delhi-Kathmandu buses will have to follow Covid-related protocols.
According to Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), passengers having a final vaccination certificate (taken both the dose of Covid-19 vaccine) and a negative RT-PCR report will be allowed to board the bus.
The Delhi to Kathmandu bus service will start from the Ambedkar Bus Terminal at 10 am on Wednesday. The bus service will be available every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The bus will return from Kathmandu to Delhi on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
The fare of the Maitri bus service has increased to ₹2,800. Before the pandemic, the fare was ₹2,300. Launched in November 2014, the bus service connects the capital cities of India and Nepal. It covers a distance of 1,167 km with stoppages at Firozabad, Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh, and Mugling (Nepal). The bus will also stop at Sanauli (India-Nepal border) for customs checking. The services of the special route were shut down on March 23, 2020, due to the first wave of coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the Delhi-Lahore bus service, popularly known as ‘Sada-e-Sarhad’ continues to remain suspended until further orders. The Delhi-Lahore bus service remained suspended in 2019 in the wake of India revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370.
