This summer, Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) has the coolest gift for its commuters travelling to districts and Jharkhand.

The BSRTC will start operating luxury buses on five new routes, including Patna-Madhubani and Patna-Valmiki Tiger Reserve, from the last week of March.

Apart from inter-district services, the buses would also ply to a few places in neighbouring Jharkhand.

The good news is that the buses on Patna-Motihari and the Patna-Purnea routes, which are in addition to the five new stretches, have started plying from the last week. The buses are in addition to the nine fleets already operating on Patna-Jamshedpur and Patna-Ranchi routes.

According to sources, Hyderabad-based Girish Infrastructure has delivered 22 luxury buses to BSRTC. Chief minister Nitish Kumar flagged off the first fleet of nine Mercedes and two Volvo buses on December 10 last year from Sultan Palace in Patna. Besides, nine more buses arrived at Sultan Palace in the last week of February this year.

Commuters are upbeat with the luxury coaches, more because of its “reasonable” fares. “I believe the fares of the BSRTC luxury buses are cheaper than the charges one has to pay for such vehicles in other parts of the country. Moreover, facilities like live TV, global positioning system and Wi-Fi are not available in the luxury buses run by the state transport of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra,” said Rohit Singh, a frequent commuter on the Patna-Jamshedpur route.

The operator, Girish Infrastructure, has stated that 30,000 passengers have travelled in these swanky buses in the past three months.

“Most people are travelling in AC luxury buses for the first time. Moreover, facilities like Wi-Fi, live TV and LCD screens add to the comfort level of our passengers. With the rise in temperature, we are expecting better response in the next few months,” said a senior official with Girish Infrastructure.