KATHMANDU, Aug. 7: The government is considering delegating full authority to the Urban Area Public Transport (Management) Authority (UAPTA) to make major decisions on the sector including reviewing transportation fares.
Preparing a draft amendment bill to the Urban Area Public Transport (Management) Authority Act, 2023, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development has proposed to grant extensive powers to the UAPTA. As of now the government’s ministry itself has been taking major decisions on the urban transport sector.
According to the proposed act, the UAPTA will have the authority to determine the routes of public transport operating within the valley, issue, renew and revoke licenses, determine service schedules and fares. It has also been mentioned that the authority will be responsible for developing a system where passengers can pay fares digitally and also monitor whether the prescribed routes, schedules and fares are being followed.
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The draft proposes a provision to give legal recognition to the cashless fare system. Along with the companies operating public transport, companies providing services such as digital fare payment, fare collection and distribution, and advertisement management are also included in the definition of 'service provider'.
The draft also proposes to centralize the UAPTA’s authority on public transport infrastructure management. Under this, the UAPTA will make decisions to determine the location of infrastructure such as bus parks, bus stops, terminals, depots, bus lanes, parking lots, passenger waiting rooms, electric vehicle charging stations, traffic lights and signs.
The amendment bill also proposes a provision to enter into supplementary agreements with service providers to operate separate public transport services during peak hours, night services or for special circumstances based on passenger traffic. It also looks for providing subsidies to those operating such services if necessary.
Similarly, it has proposed to empower the UAPTA to procure necessary consultancy and other services as per the Public Procurement Act or Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Act.
The bill proposes that the chairman of the council will be the Minister for Transport of the federal government, the senior vice-chairman will be the Minister for Transport of Bagmati Province, and one vice-chairman will be elected alternately from the mayors of Kathmandu and Lalitpur metropolises. The executive chief of the UAPTA will serve as the member-secretary of the council.
