Public transport operators reject government decision to resume service

A day after the government decision to allow short-distance public transport, the transport operators rejected government decision under the current circumstances.
Organising a press meet today, Federation of National Transport Entrepreneurs (FNTE) said that they cannot resume the transportation unless their demands are met.
Putting forth various preconditions for the resumption of public transportation, the Federation asked the government to make provisions for tax waivers, facilitate the implementation of safety precautions onboard public vehicles, and direct banks to allow them to restructure their loans.
“We will not resume public transportation under the current circumstances,” confirmed chairperson of the Federation Yogendra Nath Karmacharya. “The transport entrepreneurs will be able to resume public transportation only after the government addresses our demands including deferral of the bank loan repayment of the lockdown period, exemption from bank loan interest, and lowering of interest on bank loans,” he said, adding that public transportation entrepreneurs have incurred huge losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “It is going to cost us approximately Rs 50,000 to 500,000 per vehicle for maintenance before we can bring our vehicles out on the road.”
During the four months of the lockdown, we had to spend at least Rs 150,000 to 200,000 on maintenance for each vehicle,” the Federation said, adding that they had to spend on the tyres, the battery, and the engine before starting service as the vehicles have remain idle for almost four months.
Hoping that the government will address their demands at the earliest, Karmacharya said that they won't be able to resume public transportation as the operating cost will be high with government recommended safety measures.
He also demanded that the government arrange insurance coverage for the safety of drivers and conductors.
The government yesterday decided to resume public transportation services after huge pressure from the public transport entrepreneurs to allow resuming their service as they are ‘forced to face severe economic hardships due to the prolonged lockdown’. Hundreds of taxi drivers staged a protest in Kathmandu last week demanding the government allow them to resume the service. A parliamentary committee on Wednesday also directed the government to allow taxi operators to resume work.
Some transport entrepreneurs in Pokhara even handed over the keys to the banks, as the banks have been asking them for installment despite the prolonged lockdown. The government had imposed lockdown on Marcy 24 to contain spread of coronavirus (Covid-19). The public transportation has been closed since 109 days.
The government allowed the resumption of public transport within the same district with fifty per cent seating capacity. But the transport entrepreneurs have been asking to hike the fare to double as the operating cost is high, if they follow the safety measures.
The Federation also blamed the government for taking haphazard decision ignoring the costs for public transport operators, and also without consulting them.
“This is gross negligence on the part of the government,” Karmacharya said that they are not going to operate the vehicles and will hand over the keys to the government. “If the government does not fulfil our demands, we will ask the government to repay their bank loans and nationalise our vehicles,” he said, adding that the livelihoods of thousands of people dependent on the transport sector have been affected due to the blanket ban on public transport.

Government allows public vehicles including taxi service, within districts, hikes fare

The government has decided to resume public vehicles including taxi service within the districts and inside Kathmandu Valley after 108 days with enough safety measures, though it has also hiked the fare by 50 per cent.
“A cabinet meeting today decided to allow transport operators to resume public transportation in short route across the country with enough safety precautions but the lockdown restrictions, however, have not been lifted for long distance vehicles,” confirmed Communications and Information Technology minister and government spokesperson Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada. “They will have to comply with enough safety norms, including physical spacing on the seats, use of masks, vizers and gloves by the driver and driver’s assistant, installation of sanitiser dispensers, and disinfection of vehicles once a day,” he said, adding that the public vehicles can carry only half the capacity of the vehicle’s seat and not more and they can charge up to 50 per cent above the normal fare until the lockdown period is fully lifted.
The public transport operators – including taxi drivers – have been protesting against the government for not letting them operate vehicles as most of they have been unable to pay their bank installments due to lockdown since March 24. The government has imposed lockdown since March 24 to contain the spread of covid-19 (coronavirus).
 Khatiwada also said that public transportation will be allowed to operate within the districts outside the valley and they will not be allowed to move from one district to another, except within the three districts of Kathmandu Valley. “Private vehicles will continue to operate on the odd-even modality as usual.”
The government has also allowed taxis to ply inside respective districts and within Kathmandu Valley. “Apart from the driver, two passengers – and a child below five years if of the same family – will only be allowed in the taxis,” he said,
The government has eased the short-distance public transport despite the number of coronavirus cases have been increasing at an alarming rate lately as the transport entrepreneurs have been forced to face severe economic hardship due to prolonged lockdown. Hundreds of taxi drivers had staged a protest in Kathmandu a few days ago demanding the government to allow them resuming the service.

Tribhuvan International Airport to track taxi for safe ride

Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) is setting up a taxi tracking system to guarantee passengers’ safety and security, especially for night taxis.
During his inspection visit to the international airport today, tourism minister Yogesh Bhattarai directed TIA to do homework for the tracking of taxis for passengers’ safe ride. He also directed the TIA officials to make airport taxi services affordable, easy and secure for passengers.
According to the TIA officials, the taxi tracking system – as a part of the TIA upgradation project – will will help track taxis ferrying passengers from TIA to their destinations with the help of Global Positioning System (GPS). “The system will help concerned authority track the movements of taxis,” the officials said, adding that it is also expected to make the taxi services safer, especially during the night time.
The minister – citing the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation’s plans to operate TIA round-the-clock – directed the TIA officials to make airport taxi services convenient and secure during night time. “After completing the homework, the TIA will call a tender to set up the tracking system,” the officials said, adding that the TIA will then coordinate with taxi service providers to implement the service.
The TIA had earlier initiated pre-paid taxi service system in 2014 in coordination with the Airport Passengers Transport Service Management Ltd. The passengers have to pay before their ride and can use the taxi service to different places within the valley from and to TIA.
The TIA is also upgrading its internal management system, trolley and baggage management system, quick services to passengers from check-in to immigration areas. The TIA has just completed runway rehabilitation, and the construction of taxiway and parking bay will begin from September. “the government is planning to upgrade TIA as a ‘boutique’ airport,” the TIA officials said.