Ambaji Bhadarvi Poonam Mela 2026: GSRTC to operate 30,000 extra trips with 1,000 buses

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi today inaugurated Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) special bus services and unveiled new buses to facilitate pilgrims attending the Ambaji Bhadarvi Poonam Mahamela 2026.

The GSRTC has planned around 30,000 additional trips using nearly 1,000 buses for the fair this year. The special services are expected to benefit around 15 lakh pilgrims visiting Ambaji. The services will be operated by the Palanpur, Mehsana, Himmatnagar and Ahmedabad divisions until September 26, according to a press release.

To facilitate pilgrims, the GSRTC has set up 10 temporary booths at Ambaji, each staffed by supervisors and booth in-charges. Continuous bus services will operate on key routes connecting Ambaji with Gabbar, Abu Road, Danta, Deesa, Palanpur and Siddhpur; Mehsana, Visnagar, Becharaji, Vadnagar and Kheralu; and Himmatnagar, Idar, Khedbrahma, Ahmedabad, Shamlaji and Bhiloda.

The Transport Department has also arranged temporary passenger sheds, drinking water facilities, public toilets, public address systems, and information hoardings and banners to assist pilgrims. Contact details of booth in-charges have also been displayed at designated locations.

For emergency and breakdown support, cranes, mechanical teams, ambulances and firefighting personnel have been deployed at depots. A GPS-based central control room has also been made operational to monitor the movement of buses in real time.

Last year, the GSRTC transported around 13.09 lakh passengers through 28,506 trips using nearly 900 buses during the Ambaji Bhadarvi Poonam Fair.

The ST Corporation said it has made arrangements to ensure safe and convenient transportation for the large number of devotees expected to visit Ambaji for the fair. DeshGujarat