PATNA: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has started online bus ticket booking services in 22 states, including Bihar, and three union territories. People can book their bus tickets online on www.bus.irctc.co.in for state and interstate travel.
Senior public relations officer of IRCTC A K Jha said the corporation, which is already offering rail and flight ticket booking facilities to people, has launched the bus ticket booking service in a bid to provide holistic travel experience to its customers. “The IRCTC has tied up with at least 50,000 bus operators, including Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC), to provide online bus ticket booking services to people,” Jha added.
The IRCTC is likely to integrate this facility by launching a mobile app in the first week of March so that passengers can book their tickets easily on their cellphones. “The greatest advantage is that passengers can view a variety of bus services with exact fare to choose their routes, amenities and bus images while booking online tickets,” Jha said, adding the IRCTC allows passengers to book their online bus tickets with the ongoing bank accounts and e-wallet discounts.
The new facility will prove a boon for all those who have been using IRCTC site to book their rail and air tickets. “The IRCTC is regarded as one of the leading sites for booking rail and air tickets in the Asia Pacific region,” Jha said.
IRCTC had achieved a record of nine lakh online rail ticket bookings per day during pre-Covid pandemic period.
Meanwhile, the e-catering services which have been resumed by the IRCTC has evoked good response from passengers. “On an average, 700 to 800 meals are being booked online per day by passengers. Most passengers travelling from Bihar to places like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Pune are availing e-catering services on board the trains,” Jha said, adding regional delicacies are finding many takers when it comes to selecting food items.