KATHMANDU, SEP 16 -Transporters are opening advance bus ticket bookings for Dashain travel from Tuesday for all destinations across the country. The government is also set to establish temporary help desks for customers from the same day.
After a meeting with the Department of Transport Management (DoTM), the Federation of Nepalese Nati-onal Transport Entrepreneurs has issued a circulation to all bus operators’ committees, asking them to start ticket reservations within September 17-22. Earlier, the transporters had planned to start the bookings on September 21.
“Customers can book tickets from places like New Bus Park at Gongabu and Old Bus Park starting Tuesday,” said Dol Nath Khanal, general secretary of the transporters’ federation. He added all existing vehicles, including those normally unused due to a lack of demand, and new vehicles would be operated by transporters during Dashain .
According to transporters, over 150 new vehicles have been imported by companies focusing on Dashain demand. Dashain , the biggest Hindu festival, each year witnesses a mass exodus, with people traveling to different parts of the country leaving the Kathmandu valley almost deserted. With the cost of air travel unattainable to many, road transport plays a vital role during this time. Since the festival gets under way on October 15, the Dashain departure will start from the next day, according to transporters.
In a bid to support customers getting tickets easily and to discourage transporters from cheating, the government is setting up help desks in major ticketing areas of the capital and in other parts of the country. In conjunction with the help desks, the government will continue conducting monitoring over the transport sector. According to the DoTM officials, help desks will be set up in nine locations in the Kathmandu valley, with around a dozen in other major junctions of the country, which include-Birtamod, Hetauda, Birgunj and Butwal.
In the valley, the help desks are being established in Koteshwor, Gaushala, Sundh-ara, New Bus Park, Swaya-mbhu, Old Bus Park, Kalanki and Nagdhunga. Customers can get information regarding fares, location of booking counters and operators nearby.
“Customers can seek support from the help desks, if they are overcharged, not issued tickets or facing any other problems related to Dashain ticketing,” said Sarad Adhikari, technical director of the transport department. He added that as the festival experiences huge movements, the demand for transport service increases heavily, resulting in unethical practices, like the hoarding of tickets and selling them later at an inflated price.
Even though Dashain provides the most business for transporters, they are unhappy with the government raising fuel prices recently. They
have demanded that the government roll back the decision, saying that they would face “huge losses” as a result. “We are not going to increase the fares during the festival, but the government must take the recent decision back,” said Yogendra Karmacharya,
president of the transporters’ federation. The Nepal Oil Corporation had increased the diesel price by Rs 3 to Rs 103 per litre on Sept 10.
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