Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi launched special bus services and flagged off new buses for pilgrims travelling to Ambaji for the Bhadarvi Poonam Fair 2026. The services were inaugurated in the presence of Minister of State for Transport Pravin Mali and Minister of State for Urban Development Darshana Vaghela.

The Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) will operate the services until September 26 through its Palanpur, Mehsana, Himatnagar and Ahmedabad divisions. Around 1,000 buses will make nearly 30,000 additional trips, supporting about 1,500,000 pilgrims visiting the fair. Ten assistance booths have also been established at Ambaji, with supervisors and booth in-charges assigned to support passengers.

Continuous services will run on several major routes from Ambaji. These include connections to Gabbar, Abu Road, Danta, Deesa, Palanpur, Siddhpur, Mehsana, Visnagar, Becharaji, Vadnagar, Kheralu, Himatnagar, Idar, Khedbrahma, Ahmedabad, Shamlaji and Bhiloda. The arrangements are intended to improve access to the pilgrimage site and nearby destinations during the event.

The Transport Department has arranged temporary shelters, drinking water, public toilets, microphone announcements, contact numbers for booth in-charges and travel guidance through hoardings and banners. Cranes, mechanic teams, ambulances and fire-fighting vehicles have been positioned at depots to respond to operational and emergency requirements.

A GPS-based Central Control Room will monitor the buses in real time. During the 2025 fair, about 900 buses completed 28,506 trips and carried 1,309,000 passengers. Transport Department Principal Secretary Hareet Shukla, Ahmedabad Mayor Hitesh Barot, several legislators and other officials attended the launch. GSRTC said the arrangements had been made to provide safe and convenient travel for pilgrims attending the Ambaji fair.