Lucknow: Sisters from across Uttar Pradesh thanked Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for offering the gift of free bus ride on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan from Sunday midnight till Monday midnight. Like last year, this year also, women across the state enjoyed 24 hours of free bus travel.
Notably, UP Roadways deployed 2,000 buses to ensure smooth travel for women on Raksha Bandhan. Women traveling on various buses from different bus stations across the state were delighted with this gesture from CM Yogi Adityanath. Addressing CM Yogi as their brother, they expressed gratitude and wished him good health and a long life.
Agra witnesses early morning rush at bus stations for free Raksha Bandhan travel
By 5 a.m., sisters eager to tie Rakhis to their brothers had already started gathering at the Transport Nagar ISBT bus station to take advantage of the free travel offered by the government on Rakshabandhan. Free bus rides were also provided for Hathras and Aligarh as a special gift on the occasion. From 5 a.m. on August 19, large crowds formed at Agra’s Transport Nagar ISBT, Bijlighar, and Idgah bus stations, with many women among the passengers.
Women travelling from the ISBT bus station on various routes praised the government’s initiative, expressing their gratitude that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath thought of his sisters on Rakshabandhan. Children travelling with the women were also visibly happy. The number of women heading towards destinations like Delhi, Faridabad, Chhata, Mathura, Hathras, Aligarh, Mainpuri, Etah, Kasganj, Firozabad, Lucknow, and Kanpur was exceptionally high.
Regional Manager BP Agarwal said, “Staff were strategically deployed at key points across bus stations to ensure smooth operations on Rakshabandhan.” He added that preparations had been made to enhance bus services, with buses departing every five minutes to accommodate the heavy demand.
Kanpur: Extra buses ease Raksha Bandhan travel
Early in the morning, many women gathered at Kanpur’s Jhakarkati bus stand to travel to their destinations, with many heading to Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Unnao, Prayagraj, and Fatehpur.
Madhuri from Shuklaganj shared that they had to leave early on Rakshabandhan to tie Rakhis in previous years, as buses to Prayagraj were only available in the morning. “Now, with buses running throughout the day and free of charge, it’s clear that our Chief Minister truly cares for us sisters”, she remarked.
Most women expressed gratitude to CM Yogi for the free bus travel and offered their blessings in return. A Jhakarkati bus stand employee mentioned that the staff had been specially trained to ensure courteous behavior, leaving no room for complaints. Additional buses were also arranged for routes with higher traffic.
Similarly, women were delighted with the free travel service in the Bareilly division.
Prayagraj: Over 120,000 sisters benefited from free bus travel by evening
Following the state government’s directives, women in Prayagraj took advantage of the free bus travel service offered on Rakshabandhan. MK Trivedi, Regional Manager of Prayagraj Roadways, reported that the free travel service began at midnight on August 18 and had already served more than 120,000 women by 4 p.m.
In comparison, last year, 141,000 women benefited from this service in the region. To prevent overcrowding and ensure a smooth journey, 148 additional bus trips were arranged.
Jhansi: Free bus travel gift adds to Raksha Bandhan joy
Women in Jhansi expressed great happiness over Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s gift of free bus travel on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.
Many women boarding buses at the Jhansi bus stand thanked CM Yogi for this thoughtful gesture. Meenu, catching a bus to Orai, shared that the Chief Minister’s Minister’s gift has made their festival even more joyous.
According to roadways officials, all necessary arrangements were made to ensure free travel for women in line with the Chief Minister’s Minister’s announcement. Women travelled from Jhansi to Kanpur, Lucknow, Orai, Lalitpur, and other cities and on local routes within the district availing the free bus ride offer.
Ayodhya: Sisters’ faces brighten with free bus travel
The Yogi government, in a monumental move, arranged additional buses on all routes connecting Ayodhya for Rakshabandhan. A staggering 120 buses were deployed on various routes for the festival, a scale of initiative that impressed the sisters.
Grateful for this initiative, the sisters thanked the Yogi government, noting that CM Yogi cares for them like an elder brother and head of the family.
Aditya Prakash, ARM of the Transport Corporation, mentioned that all buses are being operated from the temporary bus stand in front of Ayodhya Dham bus stand, with routes covering Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Sultanpur, and other cities.
Gorakhpur: Free travel facility extended to electric buses
In the Gorakhpur region, women were offered free travel on all 840 roadway buses. The frequency of buses was increased on routes like Deoria and Kushinagar, ensuring the facility was available for all bus categories.
Additionally, women enjoyed free travel on all 25 electric buses within Gorakhpur city. While tickets were issued to women passengers, no fare was charged. All the women were grateful to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for providing this free bus travel service.
Lucknow: Women extend warm wishes to CM Yogi on Raksha Bandhan
Many women traveled by roadway buses, city buses, and electric buses in the Lucknow region for Rakshabandhan. Charbagh and Alambagh bus depots saw heavy traffic on buses heading to destinations such as Ghaziabad, Meerut, Agra, Mathura, Kanpur, Unnao, Mainpuri, Etawah, Bareilly, Moradabad, Jhansi, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Pratapgarh, Azamgarh, Ballia, Sultanpur, Amethi, Rae Bareli, Sitapur, and Hardoi. Similarly, buses to Purvanchal areas, including Gorakhpur, Gonda, Balrampur, Ayodhya, Deoria, Kushinagar, Basti, and Khalilabad from Kaiserbagh bus stand, Polytechnic intersection, and Kamta bus stand were also crowded.
Additional buses were deployed in high-traffic areas to accommodate the demand. Saroj, heading to Salempur to tie a Rakhi to her brother, praised CM Yogi for providing the free travel facility. Women benefiting from this service in Lucknow warmly addressed CM Yogi as “Bhaiya” and wished him a long life and good health.
Bareilly: Free, comfortable, and safe journeys for Raksha Bandhan
The Yogi government gave sisters free travel on Raksha Bandhan, ensuring their journeys were comfortable and safe. Regional Manager of Transport Corporation Deepak Chaudhary announced that 700 buses, including 39 AC buses to enhance comfort, were deployed across Bareilly, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, and Badaun for the occasion.
Officials at all roadway bus stands were directed to adhere to schedules and regulations to ensure smooth operations.
Varanasi: Sisters applaud free bus service
Under the Yogi government’s commitment to social responsibility and development, this year’s Raksha Bandhan came with an added benefit: free bus travel for sisters.
Not only did the government cover the cost of travel to their brothers’ homes, but arrangements were also made for free return trips the following day. Like last year, the free bus service has been well-received, with many sisters praising the Yogi government for its thoughtful initiative.
