The Gen-G movement wants national development and good governance. And for both of these, a major improvement in the transportation system is necessary.
What you should know
The government has prioritized road widening, underpasses, overpasses, flyovers, tunnel improvements and expansions in the past few years. Efforts have also been made to bring about comprehensive improvements by demolishing large structures on the capital's roads.
This work has improved the transport sector, but the way in which transport management and road safety should be done has not been done.
Due to the lack of organized public transport, the transport situation in the valley is becoming critical day by day. The increasing number of vehicles and passengers, weak infrastructure, negligence of road users and unscientific traffic management have made the transport system miserable.
The condition of public transport, which is supposed to serve a large number of passengers in the valley, is poor. At such a time, the road expansion and improvement plans put forward by the government cannot bring the expected results. If public transport development had been taken forward along with road widening, there would have been a significant improvement in the transport management of the capital today. Good road conditions not only make driving easier, it also means less fuel consumption and less traffic jams. There has been no improvement in the plight of ordinary passengers in public transport. Roads were widened, but public transport was not improved. The number of vehicles increased by about 10-15 percent every year, but proper transport management could not be achieved. Therefore, road congestion has increased more than before and road accidents have increased.
In the past three/four years, billions have been spent on road expansion and improvement in the valley, thousands of structures have been demolished, but for ordinary passengers, this work has been 'a joy for the crows, not a surprise'. The lack of a clear policy for public transport reform and the fact that such an issue is not a priority for the government is the misfortune of the people. How long will the general public have to suffer in public transport when the responsible government bodies ignore such serious issues? It is not known, and public transport passengers are forced to travel in pain.
None of our roads are up to standard. If the Kathmandu-Muglin-Narayangadh road section has never been managed, let alone other roads. The condition of any highway, including the Karnali Highway, the Koshi Highway, is not good. Are the vehicles plying in Kathmandu or outside Kathmandu in 'condition' or not? That is also not known.
Main challenges of transportation
Traffic jams and parking problems, chaotic public transport, poor road conditions, difficult travel, arbitrary operation of vehicles, problems in their management, costly maintenance, increasing environmental impact and fuel consumption, increasing accidents have been seen in the transportation sector. Nepal's roads have been built keeping in mind private vehicles. The structures being built in the city have also not been able to be people-friendly. Since the upper class always dominates in the formulation and implementation of plans, the voices of the lower class are always ignored. We have an example of the Narayangadh-Muglin 36 km road, which has not been completed despite four extensions.
Neither high-level political leaders nor high-level policy makers are serious about the poor condition of public transportation. There are many examples of high-ranking people in developed countries confidently using public transportation, due to which public transportation has gained importance in those countries. If this were to happen in Nepal too, it would create an environment for public transportation reform.
The number of public transportation in Nepal is only about 4 percent of the total vehicles. Out of the total 6.5 million registered vehicles, only about 250,000 are public transport vehicles. The number of public buses carrying a large number of passengers is only 70,000. Half of the 250,000 are e-rickshaws. We can guess from this ratio that public transport is not well-organized. It is not uncommon for the private sector to manage public transport so much with little state investment.
Even in a capital city like Kathmandu with a population of 4 million, there is not enough public transport. There are about 25,000 public vehicles in operation in the Kathmandu Valley, including taxis. Due to the investment and control of the private sector, public transport runs less at other times than when passengers arrive. The private sector has operated public transport with a strategy of making profit rather than service. There is a perception among the public that Nepal's public transport is unsafe, unorganized and chaotic. Nepalese people buy private vehicles thinking that they will get hurt. Excessive use of private vehicles is increasing traffic jams and road accidents. If public transport were improved, people's attraction to private vehicles would decrease.
Formula for improvement
For improvement, public transport should be defined as a 'service'. Public transport should be managed under the full control of the state with private and state investment. Public transport should be technology-friendly.
First: The state should also invest in public transport. A local-level cluster should be formed from 753 local governments and a public transport company should be formed. For example, there can be a single cluster of local levels in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. In it, an integrated plan, integrated route system, integrated timetable and integrated ticketing system should be created with investment from the state and private sectors. Public transport should come under one umbrella. A public-private partnership (PPP) model should be introduced.
Second: Cash is used to pay public transport fares. This has made public transport slow and sluggish. If digital payment arrangements are made, that problem can be solved. The problem can be solved by providing daily, weekly or annual ticket cards, charging cards and charging machines, and arrangements to pay fares from mobile phones.
Third: All public transport should be given a route-specific number. That number should be written on every bus. Information about the number-based timetable and bus stops on the route should be provided digitally at every bus stop and inside the bus.
Fourth: For long-distance bus management, ticket sales should be made completely online. This will eliminate the hassle of having a ticket counter. If a passenger boards from the middle, arrange for payment through QR or bank.
Fifth: In Nepal, payment is made through QR codes in many places, now the information system and payment of public transport must be made digital. The time taken to purchase tickets and exchange money has made our public transport slow.
Public transport operators can provide such facilities by making agreements with service providers. For this, a low fee can be paid to the service providers. The state should start improving transport according to the concept that ‘public transport is a service, not a money-making business’. Gen-G’s concept of country-reform is not possible without public transport reform.
