Kathmandu, September 20
The express bus service operating along the Suryabinayak – Ratnapark road section was officially inaugurated on Wednesday.
The express bus service will come into regular operation from Thursday.
While regular public buses typically require an hour and a half to travel from Ratnapark to Suryabinayak, the newly introduced express bus service is expected to complete the same journey in 45 minutes.
Additionally, the traffic police will assist in ensuring that the express buses can bypass congested intersections, such as Maitighar, Koteshwar and Jadibuti, reducing potential delays.
According to Ishwari Datta Paneru, the spokesperson of the Department of Transport Management, passengers will not be permitted to board the express bus service on Wednesday.
“It will come into full operation on September 21,” he said.
As per the department’s guidelines, these buses will offer pick-up and drop-off services at 19 designated locations. These include Ratnapark, Bhadrakali, Maitighar, Babarmahal, New Baneshwar, Shantinagar, Tinkune, Koteshwar, Jadibuti, Lokanthali, Kaushaltar, Gathaghar and Chardobato.
The bus will not wait for long at these designated bus stops.
The express bus service will depart from both Ratnapark and Suryabinayak at five-minute intervals, exclusively utilising the designated red-coloured lanes.
The express bus services are scheduled to operate on these lanes daily, from 9 am to 11 am and from 4 pm to 6 pm.
The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport has asked the Department of Transport Management to deploy 25 busses for the express services.
Such express transit vehicles are a common practice worldwide to alleviate public transport congestion caused by traffic jams. Ministry officials note that this marks the first implementation of this system in Nepal.
The Red Lane Rule
To ensure that these buses are not obstructed, the Department of Transport Management has designated a separate lane.
These lanes have been painted red and no vehicles will be allowed to drive on these lanes during the hours the express bus service is in operation.
Spokesperson of the Department of Roads, Ram Hari Pokharel said that other vehicles will not be allowed to ply on the red-marked road during the operation of express bus service.
“These buses do not have to stop even at traffic lights or intersections. The traffic police will help the bus pass without any hassle like they do with ambulances,” he said.
