Posted by: NTN | Date: February 21, 2013

With the arrival of 16 new buses in the Capital, the eagerly-awaited Sajha bus service will soon be plying the streets of Kathmandu. The green chassis of the buses will be ornamented with cream to match the same look it had when the Sajha Yatayat was first initiated in 1964. The bus service will come into operation in mid-March, after route permits are approved.

According to Kanak Mani Dixit, chairman of Sajha Cooperatives, the service will restart on a modest scale. “We hope to relieve traffic congestion in the trunk routes of the Kathmandu-Lalitpur sector and also provide exemplary transport services,” said Dixit in a press statement.

The main goals of the service are to increase the use of public transport and reduce pollution, he said.

The newly purchased buses are complaint with Euro III emission standards and boast 55 seats with 15 additional strap-hangers for standing passengers. The buses were manufactured by Tata motors in India and travelled to Kathmandu from Goa. The buses also have automated doors for entrance and exit with two CCTV cameras and display screens for advertisements, public notices and entertainment.

The cooperative has been outsourcing for drivers and conductors via the Subidha Sewa Pvt Ltd and has been prioritising women for these positions.

Sajha buses will operate along two routes—Harihar Bhawan-Tripureshwor-Ranipokhari-Kamalpokhari-Gaushala-Koteshwor-Satdobato-Lagankhel (16.5km) and Satdobato-Lagankhel-Jawalakhel-Tripureshwor-Teku-Kalimati-Kalanki (16.4km). The buses will charge government-assigned fares for public transport.

Sajha Yatayat, the Valley’s pioneering bus service, halted services in 2002 due to politicisation and overstaffing. The company is now under new management and was established as a cooperative in 2011 with an executive board elected from the general body members.

Source: ekantipur.com