Kathmandu-Bodh Gaya bus service launched

A direct bus service was launched between Kathmandu and Buddhist pilgrimage town of Bodh Gaya in Bihar on Thursday with a view to promoting religious tourism between India and Nepal.

Nepal's Transport Minister Raghubir Mahaseth and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri jointly flagged off the bus service launched in collaboration with the Bihar transport department from Swoyambhu, a famous Buddhist stupa in Kathmandu.

This is the fifth direct bus service launched between Nepal and India since the signing of the Motor Vehicles Agreement between the two countries in 2014 during the first official visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Nepal.

The first bus carried 10 passengers to Bodh Gaya via Patna. Tickets for the service can also be booked online and the bus service also has Wi-Fi facilities.

The sixth Nepal-India direct bus service will be launched between Janakpur and Patna on Sunday.

Four direct bus services between, Nepal and India have been in operation, on the KathmanduDelhi, Kathmandu-Benaras, Pokhara-Delhi and Mahendranagar-Delhi routes.

The operation of these services will not only promote tourism in the two countries but also contribute towards strengthening people-to-people relations, Mahaseth and Puri said on the occasion.