POKHARA, June 3: The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has formally asked the Gandaki provincial government to suspend the enforcement of its ride-sharing regulation.
This follows a late-night six-point agreement between the government and the Public Transport Protection Struggle Committee on Monday. One of the key points included a request for provinces, including Gandaki, to put on hold any rules allowing private vehicles with red number plates to operate as public transport.
Although the federal government had pledged to send the directive early Tuesday, the letter reached the Gandaki government only at the last moment. The directive was based on the understanding that federal-level laws on ride-sharing are still in the drafting phase and that provincial rules should not be enforced until national laws are in place.
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The letter was sent to the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers’ Office in Gandaki, following a recommendation from the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport. The ministry had issued the recommendation after a ministerial-level decision, which was forwarded to the Prime Minister's Office.
The letter emphasizes the need to ease public hardship caused by ongoing transportation strikes and calls on provincial governments to pause implementation of ride-sharing provisions for the time being.
While transportation regulation falls under provincial jurisdiction, Gandaki Chief Minister Surendraraj Pandey’s press coordinator noted that the provincial government will assess the nature of the federal request before making a final decision.
Meanwhile, transport entrepreneurs have insisted they will continue their strike unless the ride-sharing regulations are fully repealed.
