Commuters are complaining that transport entrepreneurs are collecting fares as per the old rates, which are way high compared to the price of petroleum products that has been plummeting in the domestic market since a couple of months.
In the past, transport entrepreneurs used to raise fares with alacrity and even without the consent of the government whenever the price of petroleum products rose.
After seven rounds of consultations with transport entrepreneurs, the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MoLTM) had stipulated new public transport fares on March 3.
The government mechanism for implementing the fare cut appears to have failed due to insufficient manpower and logistics for monitoring enforcement, besides the insincerity shown by the entrepreneurs.
“We have received complaints that transporters are charging exorbitant fares from commuters though more than seven days have passed since the government’s decision to reduce fares,” Sharad Chandra Paudel, director general of the Department of Transport Management (DoTM), told myrepublica.com.
“But we lack sufficient human resources and logistics which are necessary for effective implementation of the fare revision.”
Paudel informed that a four-man team comprising traffic police and officials of DoTM has been mobilized to monitor implementation of the revised fares by transport entrepreneurs.
“We will impose a fine of Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 each on entrepreneurs found disobeying the government decision on fare cuts,” added Paudel.
Responding to steep falls in the price of petroleum products, the government had revised transport fares on the basis of geographical location and length of routes.
Transport entrepreneurs, however, claim that implementation of the new fare rates has been delayed due to lack of speedy communication with members about the fare revision.
Entrepreneurs, who have a track record of hiking fares immediately after a rise in petroleum prices, had also defied the government decision two months back to reduce fares by 13 percent in two phases--6 percent and 7 percent. They had demanded a scientific adjustment system for fares.
“We are sincerely ready to implement the government decision once we complete communicating to our members about it. It will take a couple of days to see full-fledged implementation of the fare revision on our part,” said Dol Nath Khanal, general secretary of Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs’ National Federation (NTENF).
As per the government’s fresh decision, fares have been set at Rs 1.60 per km for the high hill areas, Rs 1.33 per km for hill areas and Rs 1.18 to Rs1.25 per km for the Tarai region.
However, deluxe coaches can collect 20 percent more than the normal fares.
Fares for Kathmandu Valley have also been fixed according to the distance of the routes.
Fares set within the ring road area are Rs 9 for up to 3 km, Rs 10 up to 4 km, Rs 11 up to 6 km, Rs 12 up to 9 km, Rs 14 up to 15 km, Rs 16 up to 20 km, and Rs 18 for up to 25 km.
As long demanded by entrepreneurs, the government has introduced for the first time a scientific system for determining fares, taking into consideration the contribution of different components to the cost of operating vehicles, in addition to the fuel price.
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