New Delhi: Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a PSU under the Ministry of Railways, on Monday said that it has integrated bus booking serving on its tourism portal. With the integration of this service, one can book buses online using IRCTC's tourism portal, www.bus.irctc.co.in or through the Rail Connect App of IRCTC.

"The aim of integrating Bus Booking Service has been considered important to provide last-mile connectivity to users to destinations where they have to book a bus after reaching a destination through air or rail", IRCTC said in an official statement. The service is also useful in case of non-availability of train tickets or cancellation of trains, it added.

The Bus Booking Service, launched in January 2021 was on an ebb due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has now started to find favour with the users. A new logo of the Bus Booking feature was introduced recently by IRCTC. With the decline in the COVID-19 cases and the gradual reopening of states, IRCTC expects growth in this segment. At present booking of more than 50,000 buses including both private operators and the State Road Transport Corporations is available through this service. The service covers 22 states and 3 UTs.

IRCTC is also offering the cruise booking service through its portal. On August 28, IRCTC had signed an agreement with Cordelia Cruises being operated by Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt. Ltd for promotion and marketing of the first indigenous luxury Cruise in India.

"IRCTC has been a pioneer in offering various travel and tourism-related services through its online portal ranging from ticket booking of Indian Railways, Domestic & International Flights, more than 10,000 hotels across the country," it added.

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