The expected backlash against Sajha Yatayat’s resumption of bus services has started in under a week of its re-launch in Kathmandu. Expected because the transport syndicates that maintain an iron grip on operation of public vehicles in Kathmandu, like in the rest of the country, were sooner or later sure to cry foul at this ‘kick in their stomach’. Up until now, propped up by their political masters in right places, the private syndicates were given a free reign to set arbitrary prices, run substandard vehicles, and do pretty much as they pleased, quality service and passenger safety be damned. Whenever the voice against their bullying tactics got loud, they threatened to bring the country to a grinding halt. Even pressing reforms were resisted tooth and nail. The result is there for all to see: the barely functional, overcrowded vehicles run on the whim of their operators plying Nepal’s roads.
The transport entrepreneurs making a fuss over Sajha’s reentry in public transportation in the valley are surely aware of their hypocrisy. If they had been able to provide reliable services, there would have been no need to revive Sajha. The truth is that the valley folks who rely on public vehicles to get around had had enough of unscrupulous operators who packed in people like sardines and charged them arbitrary fares. The seats reserved for women and people with disabilities were invariably occupied by wrong persons. On the other hand, in under a week of its operation, people have showered praises on Sajha for exemplary service: Its buses run on time and stop at fixed spots.
It would be wrong to evaluate social initiatives like Sajha only in terms of their monetary returns.
They offer flexible ticketing options and make sure the reserved seats are filled by the right persons. If people are satisfied by Sajha services, as seems to be the case at this initial stage, they have every right to choose it over other options on the road. It is natural for private transport operators to feel a little threatened by the new glitzy green vehicles of Sajha Yatayat. But rather than mutter under their breath at this ‘injustice’, they should take it as a wake-up call. They must realize that if they wish to stay relevant, they must dismantle the syndicates and compete on a level field to attract passengers.
The degree of the state’s involvement in peoples’ daily affairs is a matter of great debate right across the world. Free-market fundamentalists tend to decry just about any kind of state intervention. While this hands-off policy might work in places with strong rule of law and robust regulatory measures, in a country like Nepal that is characterized by weak law enforcement and absence of oversight over private players, the government must take the lead to usher in vital social reforms. Sajha’s latest foray into urban transport is a case in point. It would be wrong to evaluate social initiatives like Sajha only in terms of their monetary returns, although there is no reason why the popular Sajha buses cannot be self-sustainable. Now that this wonderful initiative has been set in motion, there is a need to ensure its sustainability, through good times and bad, rather than abandon it at the first sign of hurdle, as has been the case many times in the past. And if they show no signs of reform, perhaps now is also the perfect time to take on the illegal transport syndicates.
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