Kathmandu, September 12

Today’s meeting between transport entrepreneurs and the officials of Department of Transport Management (DoTM) to decide the date for commencing pre-booking of bus tickets for Dashain ended inclusively after the two sides failed to forge consensus on demands raised by transport entrepreneurs.

However, the two sides have agreed to sit for further discussion on the issue on Sunday.

“We have been holding regular talks with the transport entrepreneurs to announce pre-booking of bus tickets for Dashain as soon as possible. However,the process has been delayed as entrepreneurs have expressed a few reservations,” informed Lawanya Kumar Dhaka, director general of DoTM.

As per him, transport entrepreneurs are seeking new adjustment in public transportation fare, assurance of quality roads and demanding that the bank accounts of transport bodies be unfrozen before the pre-booking of bus tickets is announced.

“We can discuss and analyse the aforementioned concerns of transport entrepreneurs. However, addressing their demands overnight is not possible,” stated Dhakal.

Owing to constant rise in the price of petroleum products, especially diesel, and pressure from transport entrepreneurs, DoTM is currently evaluating the inflation of various determinants of the public transportation fare, including petroleum products.

“Undoubtedly, fuel price has increased notably since the last revision of public transportation fare. However, we need to evaluate the inflation of other determinants, like vehicle price, cost of spare parts and workers’ wage, among others, as fuel price has only 35 per cent weightage in the overall public transportation fare adjustment process,” stated Dhakal.

Regarding unfreezing the bank accounts of transport bodies, DoTM officials said that it is unlikely to happen before completion of ongoing government’s probe into the properties of transport bodies. In May first week, the government had frozen bank accounts of transport bodies that were backing transport syndicate.

However, Dhakal assured that consensus will be reached soon with transport entrepreneurs on opening the pre-booking of bus tickets for Dashain.

Meanwhile, transport entrepreneurs are quite reluctant to comment on this issue. “Our concerns are that of the transportation industry. The government should analyse them properly,” said a transport entrepreneur, seeking anonymity.

Yogendra Nath Karmacharya, president of Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs, said that though they are aware that pre-booking of bus tickets should be opened on time, factors like soaring fuel price and damaged roads, among others, have raised operation cost of vehicles and that it is economically infeasible to operate long route vehicles in the present situation.