KATHMANDU, April 9: Taxis plying in Bagmati Province will be increasing their fares by up to Rs 3 per kilometer effective from the Nepali New Year 2079 that falls on Thursday.
After receiving approval from the provincial Ministry of Labor, Employment and Transport Management on Friday, cab operators will be charging the riders with Rs 10 for the first 200 meters of travel. The fare has been fixed at Rs 20 per km for up to a distance of five kilometers.
Reluctance to implement adjusted transport fares
For a distance of 5-10 km, the rate has been fixed at Rs 25 per km while those for 10-15 km will be charged Rs 30 per km. The rate will be Rs 33 per km for distances of 15-20 km and the fare will be Rs 38 per km for any distance above 20 km. Similarly, the passenger will have to pay a waiting charge of Rs 1.20 per minute for up to 30 minutes of waiting.
Transport entrepreneurs had been pressuring the government to increase fares, citing the rising prices of petroleum products. Last week, the government permitted operators of long-distance public transport to hike their fares by up to 15 percent.
Likewise, the bus operators in Bagmati Province will also be hiking the fares from next week. In the revised rate, a passenger will have to pay a minimum of Rs 20 while the charge for the distance of more than 20 km has been fixed at Rs 38.
