This story is from May 16, 2022
Manali
: The public bus service on the world’s highest, longest, and one of the most dangerous routes from Delhi to Leh resumed after eight months on Sunday with 17 passengers that leftKeylong
for Leh.The Keylong depot of Himachal Roads Transport Corporation (HRTC) runs this lone bus service between national capital Delhi and the Union Territory of Ladakh via Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, and Himachal Pradesh, across three mountain passes above an altitude of 16,000 feet. The taxi fare from Delhi to Leh is more than Rs 35,000, while the bus fare is just Rs 1,740.The bus covers 1,026 kilometres in about 30 hours, making small halts in Chandigarh, Kullu, and Manali and a major halt at Keylong. It leaves Keylong at 5am and reaches Leh by late evening after covering 365 km. It generally goes full. Budgets travellers await for this service every summer. On Sunday, the 17 passengers received an official welcome at Keylong. HRTC regional manager Mangal Chand Manepa said subdivisional magistragePriya Nagta
had flagged off the seasonal bus service. He said: “Last year, the bus service started on July 1 but, this year, we began it 45 days in advance to include the tourist season. The bus return from Leh to Manali at 3am.” This Delhi-Leh route with a maximum altitude of 17,582 ft atTaglang
La, is in the Limca Book of Records for this.Starting from Delhi at an altitude of about 700ft, the bus goes via Manali (6,800 ft), Atal Tunnel (10,000 ft), Keylong (10,100 ft), Baralacha pass (16,052 ft), Nakeela pass (15,540 ft), Lachulung pass (16,616 ft) and Taglang pass (17,582 ft) before ending its journey at 11,500 ft in Leh. The trip is famous for its scenic bus stops and the amazing skills of the HRTC’s Keylong depot drivers on the narrow and steep hill roads that have hundreds of hairpin bends, several high mountain passes, deep valleys, and vast plateaus. The seasonal bus service stops in September when the road closes due to winter snowfall.