Delhi-Kathmandu DTC updates Covid travel rules, service resumes after 20 months

It is mandatory for all Delhi-Kathmandu passengers to carry certificates of both doses of Covid vaccine and a negative RT-PCR test report within 72 hours of the start of the journey and if they fail to produce the documents, they will not be allowed to board the bus

The Delhi-Kathmandu DTC service resumed after over 20 months on Wednesday morning, with the first bus carrying 12 passengers from Ambedkar Terminal here to the national capital of Nepal.

The passengers headed to Kathmandu expressed happiness that the Maitri Bus Sewa, which was halted due to Covid-19, was restarted, saying it will help bring people of the two countries together.

"There were 12 passengers in the bus for Kathmandu that left Ambedkar Terminal of DTC at 10 am. The return bus from Kathmandu will leave from there on Thursday morning," a senior officer of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) said.

The service was halted in March, 2020 due to Covid and it resumed with strict adherence to guidelines, including mandatory double-dose vaccination and a negative RT-PCR test report to be produced by the passengers before boarding.

"Its a good move to start this bus service. A lot of people travel between Nepal and India for tourism and business, and this luxury bus will fulfil that need and help build on the relationship between the two nations," said a passenger, Vivek.

The bus departs from Delhi to Kathmandu on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The return bus from Kathmandu to Delhi leaves on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, he said.

The bus has stoppages at Firozabad and Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh, and Mugling in Nepal. The bus also stops at Sonauli (India-Nepal border) for customs' checking. Passengers travelling between Delhi and Kathmandu are not allowed to disembark or embark en route except at the scheduled halts.

The Delhi-Kathmandu bus service, connecting the capital cities of India and Nepal, was launched in November, 2014. It was halted on March 23, 2020 during the first wave of coronavirus.

It is "mandatory" for all the passengers to carry certificates of both doses of Covid vaccine and a negative RT-PCR test report within 72 hours of the start of the journey, the official said.

The passengers will not be allowed to board the bus if they fail to produce the documents, he said.

The service was initiated as a symbol of friendship between the two nations and since its beginning, the buses have frequently carried pilgrims, tourists, foreign delegates and the general public from both the nations.

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This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.