Kathmandu, August 18
The government’s plan to operate free blue buses for women across all seven provinces remains on hold, months after the Cabinet formally approved the initiative as part of its governance reform programme.
The Cabinet meeting on March 27 approved a 100-point governance reform plan. Point 97 of the plan stated that free blue bus services would be operated in all seven provinces to ensure women’s safe mobility.
The plan also set a first-phase target of putting at least 25 buses into operation within 100 days.
Had the government followed that timeline, the blue buses should have been running by July 17 (Shrawan 1) at the latest.
In June, numerous news reports carried headlines saying that the blue buses would begin operating from July 17. Had the buses started running as announced, Tuesday would have marked exactly one month since the service began.
It has not happened.
The initiative has also been included in the budget for the current fiscal year presented by Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle.
The budget states that arrangements will be made to operate a modern blue bus service equipped with CCTV cameras to ensure women’s safe transportation.
The Ministry of Infrastructure Development has allocated Rs 45 million for the programme.
Technical preparations completed, approval still pending
According to the ministry, most of the groundwork required to launch the service has already been completed.
Ministry Joint Secretary and Spokesperson Er. Ramhari Pokhrel said the technical preparations have been completed and an agreement has already been reached with Sajha Yatayat.
The file is now awaiting political approval.
“The agreement with Sajha Yatayat has been signed and approval has already been received from the Ministry of Finance,” Pokhrel said. “The day a decision is made by the political leadership, this announcement will be implemented.”
He said the ministry is ready to launch the service as soon as it receives a high-level go-ahead.
Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamsal had also included the blue bus programme in his 100-day progress report released on July 4.
The report said preparations were underway to operate free blue bus services across all seven provinces for women’s safe transportation.
According to Lamsal, the ministry had coordinated with Sajha Yatayat to operate at least seven blue buses in Kathmandu Valley.
A draft proposal covering the operating procedure, timetable, action plan, cost estimate and responsibilities has already been prepared.
The ministry’s progress report said an operating proposal, including alternatives, had been sent to the Ministry of Finance for its comments and consultation.
The ministry says the Finance Ministry has already approved the proposal.
Lamsal’s report also stated that Rs 45 million had been allocated in the fiscal year 2026/27 budget for operating and managing blue bus services across all seven provinces.
An annual action plan, milestones and key performance indicators for the service have also been prepared, according to the minister’s report.
However, another senior ministry official said the file has reached Minister Lamsal’s secretariat and is currently stuck there.
The official said there was no clear information about why the file had stalled.
Election promise
The blue bus plan has also generated controversy over the colour and branding of the buses.
The Rastriya Swatantra Party had introduced the concept of blue buses in Chitwan, where buses painted blue were operated.
Sajha Yatayat, however, uses green as its brand colour.
The government’s plan to operate Sajha’s green buses as “blue buses” triggered criticism on social media, with some questioning whether the government was simply rebranding existing Sajha buses.
Sajha Yatayat later clarified that it would not change the colour of its buses.
Under the initial plan, Sajha Yatayat and the government were preparing to operate two buses on the Budhanilkantha-Lagankhel-Godawari route in Kathmandu Valley.
Two buses were planned for the Nagdhunga-Airport route, while four electric buses were planned for the Ring Road.
The social media debate has since died down.
But the government appears to have missed an opportunity to answer its critics through action.
At a time when it had made a written commitment and set a specific timeline for implementation, actually putting the blue buses on the road could have sent a positive message about the government’s ability to deliver on its own announcements.
Sajha Yatayat, however, says there has been no concrete decision or agreement on the operation of the blue buses yet.
“We have not moved ahead with further work related to the blue buses,” Sajha Yatayat Chief Executive Officer Bhupendra Aryal said. “We are currently working on the operating modality.”
