Diwali travel fares on private buses from Ahmedabad and Surat to Saurashtra have risen sharply, with tickets that normally cost about ₹400-₹500 being quoted at ₹1,200-₹1,500 as demand for seats increases ahead of the festival.
Divya Bhaskar reported that its reporters visited private travel offices in Ahmedabad’s Satellite area and made enquiries about fares for routes including Rajkot. Travel office staff reportedly said that fares would rise further when the Diwali vacation begins on November 4 and 5, with a single seat or sofa priced at around ₹1,500 and a double sofa costing ₹3,000 or more.
The fare increase is affecting people who live in Ahmedabad and Surat for employment, business and education but return to their native districts during Diwali. The report said that many private buses operating from Ahmedabad to different parts of Gujarat were already full despite the higher prices, as passengers continued booking seats to travel home with their families.
For the Ahmedabad-Rajkot route, private operators were reportedly quoting between ₹1,000 and ₹1,200 during the festival period. Divya Bhaskar compared this with other available services: an Ahmedabad-Rajkot Vande Bharat chair-car ticket was listed at ₹810, while an executive chair-car ticket was ₹1,505. Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation fares cited in the report were ₹562 for a Volvo bus and ₹332 for a sleeper bus.
The report also described similar increases for passengers travelling from Surat towards Saurashtra. Inquiries at private travel offices for an Amreli-bound bus reportedly found single-ticket fares of about ₹1,500. Staff were quoted as saying that fares would return to normal only after Diwali or Labh Pancham. Return journeys during the festival period were reportedly being quoted at ₹2,800-₹3,000.
The increase has particular significance for diamond workers and other lower- and middle-income residents in Surat, according to the report, because the cost of returning home can become a substantial part of a family’s festival budget. Divya Bhaskar said its reporters conducted a sting operation by posing as customers and found travel office staff attributing the higher fares to limited seat availability and festival demand.
The report said that former legislator Dhiru Gajera and the Diamond Workers’ Union had previously raised concerns about high fares charged by private travel operators during the festival season. They had sought action from the authorities, but the report said no concrete measures had followed. The travel office staff cited in the report said fares would be reduced after the festival period, while the immediate bookings remain subject to the higher rates.
