No hike in public transport fare before festivals

Kathmandu / Sept 13: The government has decided not to increase the public transport fare before the Dashain festival.

The Department of Transport Management said though it was time for a regular adjustment of fare, no decision would be taken prior Dashain. Director-General Gogan Bahadur Hamal said the issue of immediate fare adjustment was not raised during a meeting with transport entrepreneurs.

This year’s budget incorporates a program for fare adjustment which will take place only after major festivals, namely Dashain, Tihar and Chhath.

The government fixes the transport fare rate based on the prices of petroleum products (35 per cent) and expenses for machinery parts and human resources (65 per cent).

The Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs said it was the responsibility of the Department to adjust the public transport fare, asserting that it would be made on time. As he said, the fare rise based on the 65 per cent has not been applied for the seven years. Though the Department had decided to increase the fare in last May-June, it was withdrawn after five hours of the decision. RSS