Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) in collaboration with Sajha Yatayat has once again planned to operate night bus service in Kathmandu valley. The campaign of operating night bus service solely aims at providing safe and smooth public transportation service to commuters in the valley.
The night bus service is a much-needed facility in Kathmandu as getting anywhere without a means of private transport at night is very difficult. The taxi service in Kathmandu is very costly, even though the Government has formally indicated prices for specific distances.
If you’re in the valley and have to travel daily, you might know the struggle to keep up with public transportation and the traffic jam, of course. Likewise, the struggle to travel during nighttime is inexpressible. The shortage of transportation, the risk of traveling alone, and more are the reasons why traveling at night in Kathmandu is dangerous. At times like this, a plan to operate night bus service can be quite helpful.
A daily commuter from Kathmandu, Skandha Shrestha says, “I have a 9 to 6 job at an IT company in Lalitpur and have to travel via public transportation to reach there. I commute by Sajha bus on a daily basis and sometimes, the struggle to get Sajha bus is real, especially during winter. Now that KMC is finally looking forward to operating night buses, I hope the struggle to travel would be a little less and we, the daily commuters would not have to worry about traveling at nighttime.”
This is the third time that KMC has decided to push the plan to operate night bus service forward. The first try was in August 2012 where KMC operated the night bus service from 8 P.M. to 11 P.M. It had provided NPR. 4.5 Million to the service providers. The second was in September 2015 when both KMC and Sajha signed an agreement to procure 20 large buses in order to operate night service in Kathmandu. However, the plan was not implemented at all.
KMC, this time has decided to resume the service more effectively this time collaborating with Sajha Yatayat. Man Dangol, the KMC spokesperson said, “This time, we are studying what went wrong last time. We will properly implement the plan this time.”
Mr. Dangol also said that KMC would most likely support eateries near night bus stands, which will help people who travel at night. Both KMC and Sajha Yatayat will share the revenue generated from the joint venture.
So, guys, do you think the
plan to operate night bus service will be a success? Or is it going to be just
another “plan”? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below.
Wow, finally some respite for commuters working in private companies.