Milan Bishwakarma of Banepa, who has lost both his eyesight, uses a white cane to walk. He says that it is more difficult to travel by public transport than on foot. He has experienced that problems such as public transport not stopping because of his blindness, the provision of disabled seats according to quota but not easily available, and the government's reluctance to provide 50 percent discount to disabled people traveling on public transport make it difficult to travel by public transport.

‘Even if there is a quota for a disabled seat, it is not easy to get it. That seat is already packed and they ask you to come to another vehicle,’ he said. ‘When you see someone carrying a white cane in their hand, you have to show your identity. We are treated inhumanly, saying that we also have the same problem as you.’

According to him, public transport has started giving discounts to people with disabilities compared to before. But not everyone gives them. ‘People with disabilities traveling on public transport have to struggle to get the 50 percent discount provided by the government,’ he said. ‘Some people even insult them when they show their disability identity card, saying that they showed a fake card.’ He said that he has faced mistreatment on public transport several times due to his lack of vision. According to him, people with disabilities have to struggle every day to travel.

Krishna Sharan Thapa Magar of Dhulikhel Municipality-4 is still deprived of access to easy transportation services even after 12 years of spinal cord injury. Thapa, who has a spinal cord injury, depends on a wheelchair and assistive health equipment for his daily life. ‘Our main problem is mobility,’ he said. ‘We have difficulty traveling by public transportation because we don’t know when we will need to urinate.’ According to him, apart from this, there are many other problems in traveling by public transportation.’

‘Short-distance local vehicles do not provide emergency services,’ said Thapa, ‘Our wheelchairs do not have a place to enter,’ and the vehicles are not even disabled-friendly,’ They also show inhumane behavior to those who are disabled. He complained that most of the vehicles on the Banepa-Dhulikhel-Kathmandu route do not provide a comfortable environment for him to travel.

Thapa says that despite the legal provision for concessions in transportation for citizens with disabilities, he has not received any concessions for long journeys. In the experience of Kalpana Bista of Doti, traveling in public transport is also a challenge. Bista, who is suffering from a spinal cord injury after a car accident 11 years ago, said that the discrimination, neglect and inhumane behavior seen in public transport has not ended yet.

‘We cannot get on and off the bus ourselves because our lower back is immobile,’ she said. ‘If the driver or co-driver sees a disabled person, they do not stop the bus. Even if we board the bus, they are reluctant to help us. I feel that humanity has disappeared these days.’

She said that the 50 percent fare discount set by the government is limited to paper. ‘It is very difficult for disabled people to get a discount on public transport,’ she said. ‘In some places, we have to pay more.’ She shared her experience of being asked for various cumbersome documents even when showing a disability card.’

‘Separate seats provided for people with disabilities in public transport are being misused,’ she said, ‘It seems that others are sitting in the disabled seats, many do not give up such seats, they behave as if they do not see the disabled person even if they see him.’

Subhadra Chaulagain of Baluwa in Panchkhal, Kavre finds it very difficult to travel in public transport. She is deaf and cannot speak. She has to communicate through gestures. Not everyone understands her sign language. She shared her experience of being taken from one place to another on several occasions because she did not understand her language. She has experienced that traveling alone in public transport due to her inability to speak and hear, and not understanding the language, is even more problematic.

Since she cannot speak and hear, she has a disability identity card. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2074 BS, provides a 50 percent discount on public transport for those with disability identity cards. She complained that she was not given a discount on public transport as per that provision.

She narrated the problem of not being given a 50 percent discount on the bus even when she showed her disability identity card while travelling from Panchkhal to Banepa. Last year, she narrated the mistreatment she faced in public transport when she came to Banepa from Panchkhal. "They deducted 50 percent discount from her disability ID card and gave her a car fare from Panchkhal to Banepa. The co-driver of the vehicle started arguing saying that the disability ID card was not valid. The money she gave the co-driver would have taken her to the police station. While arguing, the co-driver dropped her off at the police station. She asked for help from many people, but no one helped. She had a one-year-old son with her. She had to wait a long time to board another bus and come to Banepa."

Rekhi Rai of Nala, Banepa-4, said that not only was the 50 percent discount not given on the bus, but it was also very difficult for the disabled to travel on public transport. According to her, deaf women are forced to travel by enduring mistreatment. Recounting her experience, she said, "Some time ago, I was coming from Nala to Banepa on a bus. The bus co-driver touched my backside. I tried to fight back. I told everyone on the bus in sign language about the mistreatment I had received, but no one listened to me. Instead, I was accused of beating the co-driver. Instead, everyone on the bus scolded me for beating the co-driver. No one helped me."

They complain that the Disabled Persons' Rights Act, 2074 BS, provides a 50 percent discount for people with disabilities in public transport, but it has not been implemented. Ram Pyari Pote Awale, president of the Nepal Disabled Women's Association, Kavre, said that although the act provides a 50 percent discount, only 45 percent discount has been given.

According to her, although public transport is comparatively free, it is only implemented in urban areas. She said that there are many complaints that most public vehicles plying in rural areas do not provide a discount for people with disability identity cards. According to her, it is not easy for people with disabilities to get reserved seats. She said that there is a need to discuss this issue with the relevant stakeholders.

Sindhu Helambu Transport Pvt. Ltd. Chairman Rajesh Kumar Shrestha informed that public transport provides 50 percent discount on fares to people with disabilities and reservation seats are given first priority. According to her, there is a comparative improvement in the facilities provided to people with disabilities in public transport.

‘If any error is found in the service facilities provided to disabled persons by our transport entrepreneurs, we will immediately rectify it,’ he said, ‘We have been conducting awareness programs for transport entrepreneurs, drivers, and co-drivers in this regard.’

Varna Shakya, Chairman of Kavre Bus Pvt. Ltd., which operates on the Dhulikhel-Kathmandu route, said that the complaints of not giving concessions to disabled persons in public transport, not stopping the vehicle, and misbehaving with the co-driver are not true. Shakya claimed that the vehicles operating on the Dhulikhel-Kathmandu route have been arranging special seats and concessions for disabled passengers. ‘There is no such incident where we do not give concessions or do not stop the vehicle,’ he said.