Kathmandu, September 12

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City is preparing to launch night bus service in the Kathmandu Valley in collaboration with Sajha Yatayat.

Both Sajha and KMC are preparing to procure 20 new large buses for safe and smooth public transportation in the Valley with an investment of Rs 100 million. They have agreed to procure 55 seater buses, which would ply the major routes in the Valley during evening hours.

The night bus service is being launched keeping in view the difficulties faced by staffers of government and private offices who work at night.

Besides, multipurpose digital cards will also be issued to interested regular night passengers. The digital fare cards will be the first of its kind in Nepal. The cards, which can be recharged from time to time, will allow passengers to pay their bus fares without using cash.

The night time commuters will be charged the same bus fare as the day-time passengers.

Both KMC and Sajha will share the revenue generated from the joint venture.

“Larger vehicles can ferry more passengers,” said KMC Chief Executive Officer Rudra Singh Tamang, adding that the night bus service will enhance night life experience in the Valley.

The routes for the night bus service have yet to be finalized as KMC has already been operating six night buses on various routes in the capital since October last year. Two buses ply the Ring Road, four others ply Satdobato-Ratnapark, Bhaktapur-Koteshwor-Ratnapark, Jorpati-Ratnapark and Kalanki-Ratnapark routes.

Currently, Sajha Yatayat operates along the Swoyambu-Kalanki-Kalimati-Tripureshwor-Ratna Park-Jamal-Kamalpokhari-Gaushala-Pashupatinath route (east-west) and Lagankhel-Jawalakhel-Tripureshwor-NAC-Kantipath-Teaching-Maharajgunj-Basundhara-Gongabu route (north-south) with 16 large buses.