Booking of bus tickets for Dashain plummets

Kathmandu, October 4:

Reservation of bus tickets from Kathmandu to various parts of the nation for this year’s Dashain has gone down by almost 50 per cent, according to transportation entrepreneurs.

Thousands of people go back to their homes to celebrate Dashain every year. However, reservation of bus tickets this year has decreased massively compared to the previous years, say transportation entrepreneurs. According to the Paschim Nepal Bus Byawasai Sangh (PNBBS), Kathmandu, ticket reservation has gone down by 50 per cent ahead of this Dashain compared to last year, though the advanced booking of tickets has been opened since a week.

Ram Prasad Gyawali, office chief PNBBS, said that recurrent bandhs in different parts of the country has prevented people from going to their hometowns. “We used to add almost 20 buses besides regular buses during Dashain in the past years, but this year tickets of the regular buses have not been sold.”

The PNBBS operates 70 buses from Kathmandu to western Nepal every day. “Though booking for Dashain has been opened, we were unable to see the response of passengers unlike in the past years,” Gyawali added.

Makalu Yatayat Sewa (MYS) runs 16 vehicles from Kathmandu to eastern part of the country every day. Parsu Ram Singh, technical manager of the MYS, said they used to run an additional five to six buses every year in Dashain, but due to the unstable situation of Tarai, people coming for reservation are fewer than in the past and addition of extra buses is not planned. “Obstructions in highways are very frequent; no one knows where a bandh may occur and passengers are not in a mood to take risk while travelling.” Bus tickets to the eastern parts can be booked from October 8 during this year’s Dashain; however, due to bandhs in different parts, buses in the region have halted their service.