Prayagraj–Varanasi Bus Fare Rises ₹28 After 18-Km Shrawan Detour

VARANASI — Passengers travelling by ordinary UP Roadways bus from Prayagraj to Varanasi are paying ₹225 instead of ₹197 after a Shrawan traffic diversion added 18 kilometres to the route.

The ₹28 increase is tied to the longer journey, not a permanent revision of the base route. Buses that would normally use the shorter approach are being run through Phaphamau and Tharwai during the Kanwar Yatra arrangements.

The detour also affects the Prayagraj–Gorakhpur service. That route is reported to be nine kilometres longer, with the ordinary fare moving from ₹428 to ₹440. UP Roadways Prayagraj Regional Manager Ravindra Kumar said the arrangement would remain in place until the Kanwar Yatra ends and that the updated fares had been entered into the ticketing software.

WHAT CHANGES FOR VARANASI PASSENGERS

The additional ₹28 is only one part of the inconvenience. A longer route means more time on the road and greater uncertainty when pilgrimage traffic is heavy. Travellers connecting to a train, flight or hospital appointment in Varanasi should keep a wider buffer than they would on an ordinary weekday.

Some passengers have been boarding Varanasi-bound buses from Andawa crossing near Jhunsi to avoid part of the higher-cost journey, the report said. Roadways has also started some Gorakhpur-route services from Andawa. The trade-off is weaker local transport between the crossing and Prayagraj's Civil Lines and other neighbourhoods, so a lower ticket can come with an extra transfer and more time.

MORE BUSES, ESPECIALLY FOR PILGRIMS

The corporation is increasing frequency on the Varanasi route as the first Shrawan Monday approaches. Buses are scheduled every 20 minutes from Vidya Vahini ground, opposite CMP Degree College, between 6 am and 11 pm. After 11 pm and until 5.30 am, services will be adjusted according to crowd levels.

Forty additional trips are being added, according to the regional manager. The frequency is useful for devotees heading to Kashi Vishwanath, but passengers should not read “every 20 minutes” as a guarantee that every bus will depart exactly on schedule. Boarding queues, traffic holds and police diversions can alter operations in real time.

The fare should also return to the regular level when the temporary route ends. Passengers should keep their ticket and check that the printed origin, destination and fare match the journey. Any dispute is easier to resolve with the ticket details than with a verbal complaint after arrival.

For now, the practical equation is clear: 18 extra kilometres, ₹28 more for an ordinary ticket and a journey that may take longer. The extra services should reduce waiting, but they cannot remove the road restrictions that made the detour necessary in the first place.