Despite easing of travel restrictions, there is little relief for passengers in Ambala as there aren’t enough inter-state buses, especially to Punjab and Delhi, two of the most sought after destinations from here.
Many say that amid the long wait for bookings in trains, most of which are running to full capacity, they are left to their own devices to travel back home.
A 23-year-old resident of Patiala, who was stuck in Delhi since the lockdown was imposed, said as she didn’t get train reservation, she boarded a bus from Panipat to Ambala, hoping to catch a bus to take her home. “The station manager of this bus stand told me I can board a bus to Punjab from here, but when I arrived here, I found there are no buses. Now, my brother is coming from Patiala in his car to pick me up,” she said.
A few labourers sitting next to her say that they have been waiting to take a bus to Gurugram, from where they hope to travel to Bihar but to no avail. “There are no seats available on trains till June 23. Now, we are waiting for a bus to take us to Gurugram. We will only get an offline ticket if it doesn’t get full online,” they said.
At least 17 buses operate from the Ambala depot everyday but most carry very few passengers, less than the prescribed limit of 30.
{{/usCountry}}At least 17 buses operate from the Ambala depot everyday but most carry very few passengers, less than the prescribed limit of 30.
{{/usCountry}}Ambala cantonment bus stand station manager Vijender Singh said, “Around 7 to 8 buses leave for nearby districts from here every day, which carry around a dozen passengers. Except those headed to Panchkula, Delhi or Gurugram, most buses run below capacity. Sometimes, a bus waits for over two hours and has to depart only with a couple of passengers.”
“I don’t think the services will improve until there are regular buses for Delhi or Punjab. There are several passengers for Delhi who wait here for hours but there are no buses for Delhi, so they board a bus to Gurugram and travel further,” Singh said.