The Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) will operate its full bus fleet and add extra services from November 6 to 17 to manage the expected Diwali and Chhath travel rush across the state. Additional buses will be introduced when passenger occupancy on a route crosses 60 percent, while staff will receive incentives to keep services running during the peak period.
The arrangements are aimed particularly at passengers travelling from Delhi and other metropolitan centres to Lucknow, Purvanchal and other major destinations in Uttar Pradesh. UPSRTC will strengthen services on routes connecting Delhi with Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Ayodhya and Kanpur.
The corporation will also scale up operations for Ghaziabad, Moradabad, Meerut, Bareilly, Saharanpur, Agra, Aligarh and Etawah. The plan is intended to reduce overcrowding and provide additional travel capacity during the period when demand rises sharply for inter-city journeys linked to the festive season.
Dayashankar Singh, minister of state for transport with independent charge, directed UPSRTC to deploy its fleet at 100 percent capacity during the incentive period. Officials have been instructed to introduce extra services based on passenger occupancy, making the 60 percent threshold the operational trigger for adding buses.
To maintain uninterrupted operations, leave for UPSRTC officers and employees will generally not be approved during the period, except in special circumstances. Staff will be assigned duties according to a roster, and the corporation will offer incentives to drivers and conductors, including contractual and outsourced personnel.
Eligible staff who complete at least 11 duty days and operate buses for an average of 300 kilometres per day will receive an incentive of Rs 400 per day. Employees meeting the criteria for 11 days will receive Rs 4,400, while those working all 12 days and meeting the kilometre target will receive Rs 4,800.
Contractual and outsourced crew members will also receive an additional 55 paise per kilometre for travel beyond the prescribed distance. Drivers operating electric buses for at least 11 days and completing 3,300 kilometres will receive approximately Rs 1,000 over the standard incentive.
Workshop staff will be covered through fixed payments of Rs 2,500 for 12 continuous days of work or Rs 2,100 for 11 days. The structure extends the operational incentive beyond drivers and conductors to the maintenance teams required to keep buses available during the rush.
The UPSRTC arrangements place additional services, fleet deployment and staff availability at the centre of the state’s response to seasonal travel demand. The corporation’s stated operating window runs from November 6 to November 17, with route-level additions to be made when passenger occupancy crosses the announced threshold.
