Kathmandu, March 31

Officials of Nepal Tourism Board have stated that they are set to start feasibility study for  introducing hop on, hop off bus service for the tourists in Kathmandu valley.

Hop on, hop off bus service is quite popular in European cities that allows tourists to visit around the city as per their convenience and makes travelling hassle-free for tourists. This service allows tourists to travel around the city for a day on a single ticket.

NTB is undertaking the feasibility study for hop on, hop off service after Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari proposed to launch such bus service in the valley in his working plan of the first 100 days.

Chief Executive Director of NTB Deepak Raj Joshi said, “Running this sort of bus service had been our priority for a long time, but after the minister’s proposal to work on the project, we are hopeful that the service will begin soon.”

Joshi said hop on, hop off bus service will cover the six UNESCO World Heritage sites inside the valley except Changu Narayan World Heritage site in Bhaktapur. He also said that unlike the buses used for hop on, hop off service in European countries which are two storied and do not have hoods in second floor, the NTB can start the service with luxury tourist vehicles available in Kathmandu.

The service is expected to be effective as the number of independent travellers has been increasing, said Joshi.