KATHMANDU, June 1: Even after three weeks of the end of syndicate in public transportation by the government, the general public does not feel any change. People still find it difficult to travel during peak hours.
Hari Adhikari, 52, had just alighted from a microbus at Chapali Height Chowk at 6 pm on Thursday when Republica approached him. He said, “I along with four others arrived here standing all the way from Hattigauda Chowk. The end of syndicate has not made road travel any easier.”
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Adhikari works as a security guard and commutes daily by microbus. He added, “Even in the morning hours the microbuses are full. I don't feel any change as these public vehicles are equally crowded as before.”
Moreover, the students have been at the receiving end of the travel chaos. Sanjok Shrestha, 18, says, “I thought that the announcement of the end of syndicate meant commute to college would be easy, but I see no difference at all. I sometimes reach the college late because I have to wait for the bus for a long time.” Shrestha said after college he feels hungry and wishes to get home as quickly as possible, but can't due to poor public transport system. He added, “It is rather horrible to travel in buses during summer as it is suffocating and the smell inside is bad!”
It appears that the government has a lot to do before the syndicate is destroyed.
At the Narayn Gopal Chowk, one of the busiest road junctions in the capital, microbuses are super crowded.People are compelled to travel in overloaded vehicles. Lakshman Khatiwada, 47, was waiting for a microbus at Narayan Gopal Chowk Thursday, and he shared, “I was happy when the syndicate ended but my back hurts travelling in crowded buses. Most of the busy routes have the same problem as before. Maybe it will take a while for us to feel the change.”
However, people are hopeful that the city will have a better public transport system after some time. Abhindra Dhital, 61, at Hattigauda Chowk said, “During rush hours there are relatively fewer public vehicles compared to pre-syndicate times. Otherwise it is getting much better.”
