Conservative estimates show a large bus can accommodate around 45 passengers and cover 10 kilometers by consuming a liter of fuel, while motorcyclists consume ten times more fuel for the same number of people for the given distance. Energy inefficiency of private cars is 50 percent higher compared to motorbikes.
"The government is encouraging energy inefficient vehicles like motorcycle and cars and also smaller size micro buses and overlooking large buses even though they reduce fuel consumption by half and also help to reduce air pollution," Energy Expert Amrit Nakarmi said. "Effective public transport system will lead to reduction in import of private cars and motorcycles."
Laxman Aryal, joint secretary of Ministry of Finance, also agrees with Nakarmi. "It is high time the government prioritized mass transport. "The government should operate public transport system as ours is not a consumption economy. It is the responsibility of the government to provide basic transport facility," added Aryal.
Transport sector alone consumes 80 percent of diesel and 100 percent of the petrol imported in the country. Annual import bills of petroleum products in the past three years hover around Rs 122 billion.
Talking to Republica, Dinkar Sharma, former director general of Department of Roads (DoR), say people have no option to choose motorbikes and cars as the country does not have dependable public transport system.
Registration of motorcycles is increasing at the rate of 10 percent every year. Similar is the growth rate of registration of cars, statistics of Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport shows.
"Cheaper auto loan floated by bank and financial institutions (BFIs) has encouraged people to purchase cars and motorbikes," added Sharma.
Though import bill of petroleum products is worth more than the country's total export earning, they government hasn't taken any decision to lower import of petroleum products.
Vehicle registration has increased by a whopping 313 percent compared to 2004/05. There are around 1,995,404 vehicles in the country, 78 percent of which are motorcycles. Similarly, 8 percent of the total vehicles are private cars and jeeps.
Though the government has launched Kathmandu Sustainable Urban Transport Project to reform public transport system in Kathmandu Valley, its implementation has remained rather slow. Project officials blame excess red tape and transport entrepreneurs, who fear they will lose business if effective public transport system is introduce, behind its slow work progress.
The project has identified two pilot routes to strengthen public transport system in the Valley. But its works have been affected as more than 50 percent of transport entrepreneurs operating public vehicles on the routes have opposed the plan.
According to project officials, the plan is to manage public transport system by allowing entrepreneurs to replace small micro buses by big buses and make their service more managed. The two routes selected for the pilot project are -- Balkhu-Patan- Gwarko-Sanagau and New Bus Park to Tribhuvan International Airport via Sorhakhuttee, Old Bus Park and Sinamangal. After successful implementation of the pilot projects, the project plans to replicate it in 66 additional routes.
Deepak Shrestha, chief of Kathmandu Sustainable Urban Transport Project, said transport entrepreneurs are one of the reasons behind delay in project implementation.
The government is collecting significant amount of money as revenue through import of cars and motorcycles even though the petroleum import bill is ballooning with every passing year. It mobilized revenue of Rs 49.43 billion from import of automobiles in 2014/15 - a rise of 22.88 percent compared to a year earlier.
Though the government has announced heavy discount on taxes on import of large buses and trams to make public transport effective, private sector has not showed interest to run transport service by establishing a company.
Though Sajha Yatayat has started a model mass transport service, its service is limited. Trolley bus service was operation in Kathmandu Valley until 2009. It was shut down citing electricity shortage.
Source: The Himalayan Times
