The Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) has designated Jaipur as the central hub for its bus services to Ayodhya. This decision comes after facing insufficient passenger numbers on direct routes from various divisions.

Hub and Spoke System

RSRTC will implement a 'hub-and-spoke' system where passengers from six divisions namely Udaipur, Bikaner, Kota, Bharatpur, Ajmer, and Jodhpur will connect through Jaipur for trips to Ayodhya and back. This change aims to improve efficiency and increase the load factor of the services.

Under the new system, passengers from other divisions will travel to Jaipur via connecting buses to catch their onward journey to Ayodhya. Similarly, return passengers from Ayodhya will connect through Jaipur to reach their respective divisions.

Manoj Kumar Bansal, RSRTC's general manager (traffic), emphasized the need for efficiency, stating, "We will run these connecting services soon and finalize a schedule so that passengers spend less than an hour in Jaipur. This will be a daily service."

Previously, RSRTC launched 14 direct services but faced challenges as only one division, Bharatpur, generated significant revenue. With load factors averaging around 20% on other routes, the corporation decided to withdraw these services gradually.

Explaining the financial implications, a senior RSRTC official highlighted, "Running a one-way service to Ayodhya costs us Rs 20,000 in fuel and toll, against ticket prices of approximately Rs 1,000. We require at least 20 to 22 passengers per trip to cover operational costs."

Source: The Times Of India