KATHMANDU: Gone are the days when it was rare to spot a woman riding a two-wheeler. In fact, with more and more women straddling home and office, colourful scooters and motorbikes have become the urban woman’s ultimate statement. According to the Bagmati Transport Management Office, Motorcycle Section, altogether 3,920 scooters and motorcycles were imported in the month of March-April and the figures shot up to 4,130 the very next month. Madan Singh Mahat, chief officer, motorcycle section, BTMO, said, “Scooters have been gaining huge popularity amongst girls and the demand is likely to double in the near future.” The demand is also due to two-wheeler friendly roads in Nepal. Seema Adhikari, a student, commutes to and from her college on a scooter. She said, “I earned admiration, especially among boys, after I started riding a scooter.” She added that all her friends were coaxing their parents to get one for them too. Many working women agreed to the fact that a vehicle had become more of a necessity than a luxury. Many corporate and media houses prefer an employee who owns a private vehicle to the one who uses public transport. Parul Sharma, a bank employee said, “Private vehicle has become an essential pre-requisite to get a job. Considering regular traffic jams and the chaotic traffic, it would be virtually impossible to reach office on time, especially if he/she stays on the outskirts of the valley.” Moreover, inconvenience caused while travelling on an over-crowded public vehicle has prompted many women passengers to own a two-wheeler.