With Sajha gone, syndicates stifle public transport

KATHMANDU, Nov 4: Ratna Samsher Thapa, one of Nepal´s finest lyricists, has had a life-long affair with public vehicles. Until recently, before rheumatism hobbled his everyday routine, Thapa used to visit relatives and friends in Kathmandu by public transport.

"I never possessed my own vehicle," Thapa recalled, adding, " All my life I went wherever I wanted by public transport."

However, the septugenarian´s memories about public transport vehicles are not sweet. "Kathmandu´s public transport system was never very good," Thapa summed up his experience. "However, it has now worsened like never before."

A truly native resident of Kathmandu, Thapa, 71, vividly reminisces how safe, affordable and reliable the Valley´s public transport system was when Sajha Yatayat, the country´s now-defunct transport company, was in full operation.

"Unlike nowadays, we could stay out till late evenings back then," Thapa said. "We would not have to worry about catching a bus back home. As Sajha Yatayat reigned over public transport, bus fares too were reasonable."

Today, according to Thapa, it is difficult to get a bus in the late evenings. Even if one gets a bus, it´s hard to find a seat. Most conductors are rowdy. They charge arbitrary fares. "If you dispute the fare, they bluntly tell you to get off the bus," he said.

As for women and the elderly, it is next to impossible to secure an empty seat. "Pick-pocketing and sexual harassment have become common," he said. "Last year, while in a Nepal Yatayat bus, a seemingly gentle lad stole my wallet. Fortunately, I was with my nephew. Otherwise, I would have been embarrassed when the conductor asked for the bus fare."

State within state

With the demise of Sajha Yatayat, the government´s grip over the public transport system loosened. Consequently, a syndicate system in public transport has flourished across the country.

Besides, some of the government´s decisions further exacerbated the Valley´s already-messed up public transport. About 14 years ago, the government decided to replace disease-run three-wheelers with petrol and gas-run autorickshaws.

Public transport management experts argue that the government´s decision to replace one kind of three-wheeler with another kind was ridiculous. "Had the government replaced three-wheelers with big buses back then, our public transport system would not have worsened to this extent," argued Mukunda Satyal, a public transport expert."

Last year, the government made another mistake when it decided to replace gas-run three-wheelers with micro-buses. "Replacing three-wheelers with micro-buses is as ridiculous as replacing one kind of auto-rickshaw with another kind," said Binod Aryal, who is pursuing a Ph D in public transport management.

Aryal believes that the government´s decision to allow owners of gas-run three-wheelers to replace their ready-to-be-scrapped vehicles with their own new micro-buses has only boosted the syndicates. "Had the government not allowed owners of gas-run three-wheelers to bring in new micro-buses, their grip over certain routes would end," he said.

Following the decision of the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MoLTM) to replace gas-run three-wheelers in Kathmandu with micro-buses, over 75 micro-buses have already entered the Valley. And speculation is rife that the owners of gas-run three-wheelers may bring in new micro-buses in place of their already-scrapped three-wheelers.

A total of 650 gas-run three-wheelers have been registered at the Department of Transport Management (DoTM). However, according to Bharat Nepal, secretary of the Bagmati Gas Tempo Entrepreneurs´ Association, over 150 three-wheelers have already been scrapped. And many more three-wheelers are on the verge of breaking down in the near future. "Even entrepreneurs whose three-wheelers no longer operate may also bring new micro-buses into Kathmandu," admitted Nepal.

Jyoti Baniya, a prominent consumer rights activist, says the monopoly of a bunch of public transport owners has caused the mess on the Valley´s roads. "This is the result of a few public transport entrepreneurs´ monopoly," said Baniya. "Our transport system will not improve unless the government does away with the syndicate system."

"We have a state within the state," said Satyal. "You cannot operate your bus unless the syndicate system allows you. Those associated with the syndicates operate their buses as long as they can, regardless of the suffering people have to go through."

Roads flooded with motorbikes

For lack of reliable public transport, people have opted for an easy means of private transport--motorcycles. The increasing number of motorcycles is likely to pose a big threat to Kathmandu´s public transport system in the near future.

"The biggest hurdle in managing the Valley´s public transport system will very soon be motorcycles," Satyal said. "We must immediately start discouraging people from buying motorcycles. And the best way to discourage motorcyclists is to improve our public transport system. If people can easily reach their destinations by public transport, they are less likely to buy motorcycles."

According to DoTM, the number of motorcycles in Kathmandu has increased threefold in the last decade. As of 2009, the number of motorcycles registered at the Bagmati Zonal Office of DoTM reached 325,326. Ten years back, the number of motorcycles plying in this zone was only 114,035.

However, irrespective of rapid growth in the Valley´s population, the number of public transport vehicles here has not even doubled. According to DoTM, there are 18,291 buses, mini-buses, micro-buses and three wheelers in the Valley. Ten years ago, the number of public transport vehicles was 10,860.

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