Kathmandu, November 18

Kathmandu Metropolitan City is likely to replace existing three-wheeler tempos and micro-buses that operate as public vehicles with electric buses.

KMC, in a bid to reduce pollution in the city and make public transportation more reliable has been mulling over the issue for some time now. KMC’s Department of Urban Management is set to present a proposal to introduce electric public vehicles at the metropolis’ board meeting tomorrow.

Hari Kunwar, head of DoUM at KMC said, “We had been carrying out feasibility study for introducing electric vehicles in the city.” KMC officials are mulling over a compensation scheme for tempos and micro bus operators, who have been providing  public transport service inside Kathmandu.

KMC Spokesperson Ishwor Man Dangol said though smaller vehicles proved to be fast, reliable and efficient in the past, it was time for the local government to upgrade the public mode of transport. “Preferably larger electric vehicles will help curb ever growing need of public vehicles, which will also play important role in reducing urban pollution.” He added they were holding talks with Sajha Yatayat, a semi-government public transport company.

A KMC source said the board meeting would deliberate on how to manage existing vehicles and their operators.

Dangol said until the new provision was enacted, KMC would monitor such public vehicles and urge vehicle owners to improve their condition. “Most of the smaller means of public transportation like tempos and blue-micros were old enough to be operated as public vehicles,” Dangol said, adding,  smaller vehicles also contributed to traffic congestion and were difficult to manage.