September 22: Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs has arranged for the facility of advance booking for passenger tickets during the upcoming Dashain. The booking has been opened from Sunday (September 22) to facilitate the large number of people leaving the capital Kathmandu to celebrate Dashain.

According to the federation, commuters can book the tickets at seven counters in the Kathmandu valley including Koteshwar,Chabahil, Gaushala, Old Bus Park, New Bus Park, Kalanki and Sundhara.

It is estimated that around 2.5 million people leave Kathmandu during Dashain and Tihar. The government arranges advance booking for the smooth flow of passengers during the festive season.

The federation in collaboration with the concerned government body has ensured that there is a sales agent in uniform and with identity card at the ticket counters so that the passengers do not get duped.

This is also to ensure that the tickets do not get sold in the black market like it happened last year. As soon as the booking was announced last year, all the tickets were booked on the very first day and then later sold off at higher prices.

“We have arranged for sales agents on uniform with identity card to facilitate the passengers and to ensure that they do not get cheated,” said Saroj Sitaula, general secretary of the federation.

Although the transport entrepreneurs had demanded a hike in transportation fee, the government urged them to sell the tickets in the same rate during this Dashain.

The government had adopted a scientific method to fix the ticket fare more than a decade ago by calculating the cost incurred and expected income. Stakeholders have agreed to revise the fare in the beginning of every fiscal year on the basis of the cost of spare parts and price of petroleum products.  The transportation fare had been increased by 10 percent during last Dashain but has remained constant this year.