Public Transport in Kathmandu Continues to Operate Outside New Bus Park Despite Regulations

The government established the Central Bus Park (New Bus Park) for public vehicles arriving in Kathmandu from across the country to park. Despite the bus park being built with a large investment, public vehicles continue to operate from outside the park.

Although the New Bus Park was established in B.S. 2050 under the initiative of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City for the management and improvement of public transport, some vehicles are still operating by setting up parking outside the New Bus Park.

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City published a notice on Jestha 19, B.S. 2080, deciding to operate all passenger vehicles that had been operating from outside the New Bus Park from within the park starting from Asar 1 of the same year, to ease traffic management in Kathmandu.

Following this decision, while some vehicles started operating from inside the New Bus Park, some public vehicles are still operating from outside the New Bus Park to this day. Public vehicles operating to Madhesh Province and districts in Bagmati Province such as Dolakha, Sindhupalchok, Kavrepalanchok, Ramechhap, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Dhading, Makwanpur, etc., do not operate from within the New Bus Park.

Vehicles going to most districts in Madhesh Province operate from Pashupati, Gaushala, Chabahil, and the Dhobikhola corridor. Vehicles operating to Dolakha, Sindhupalchok, Kavrepalanchok, and Ramechhap have set up a temporary bus park in Koteshwor for operation. Similarly, vehicles going to Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading operate from Machhapokhari road, and vehicles going to Makwanpur operate from Balkhu.

Deknath Gautam, General Secretary of the Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs National Federation, states that while all public buses west of Narayani operate from the New Bus Park, vehicles east of Narayani and short-distance vehicles have been unable to comply with the decision.

“A decision was made by the then Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Balen Shah, along with transport entrepreneurs, traffic police, and representatives of Lotse Multipurpose Pvt. Ltd., to operate all public vehicles from the New Bus Park; there are problems in implementing that decision,” he said. 

Gautam stated that the decision is facing implementation issues due to unhealthy competition among transport entrepreneurs, and therefore, the traffic police and the metropolis must enforce the decision for traffic management, and entrepreneurs must also cooperate.

General Secretary Gautam said, “We have no problem implementing the decision made by the all-party meeting. The non-operation of public vehicles from the New Bus Park is also affecting local vehicles. Everyone needs to be serious about this matter.”

The Traffic Police implemented the arrangement for long-distance day and night public vehicles to operate from the New Bus Park on Mangsir 18 to manage congestion in the Kathmandu Valley.

Nareshraj Subedi, Spokesperson for the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office and Superintendent of Police (SP), says that the traffic police are taking action against vehicles that refuse to enter the New Bus Park. “The problem of traffic management in the Kathmandu Valley has been arising because long-distance day and night buses do not go inside the New Bus Park. We have made this arrangement to solve problems including traffic jams,” he said. 

Spokesperson Subedi stated that they have been increasing surveillance from the entry points of Kathmandu regarding whether long-distance day and night vehicles reach their destinations, and action is being taken against vehicles that do not reach their destinations.

“Vehicles that cause disruption to traffic management by parking haphazardly instead of going to their permitted destinations are being prosecuted under Section 75 of the Transport Management Act, 2049, by the traffic police. Vehicles violating this provision are being fined between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000,” he said. 

Nabin Manandhar, Spokesperson for the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, says that the metropolis is working to systematize public transport within Kathmandu. “The Metropolitan City is collaborating with traffic police, transport entrepreneurs, and laborers to operate traffic within Kathmandu Metropolitan City in a systematic manner,” he said. 

Spokesperson Manandhar stated that most ticket counters placed around the ring road have been removed, and the goal is to remove the remaining counters soon and create an organized metropolis.

The New Bus Park was brought into operation by the Metropolitan City in B.S. 2056 after signing an agreement with Lotse Multipurpose Pvt. Ltd. to manage and park public vehicles entering the Kathmandu Valley. The bus park, spread over 161 ropanis of land, has the capacity to accommodate more than 800 public vehicles.

According to the Traffic Police Office, there are currently around 1.8 million vehicles operating in the Kathmandu Valley, and nearly 2,000 traffic personnel are employed. In recent times, the increase in the number of private and public vehicles in the capital city Kathmandu and across the country, coupled with narrow roads, is adding challenges to traffic management.