Kathmandu, April 11: Sajha Yatayat’s charging station has opened in Kathmandu. On the occasion, the full operation of 40 electric busses by Sajha Yatayat, a corporate bus company operating in Nepal, was also celebrated. The busses are nine meters long and can carry up to 50 passengers, sitting and standing.
In the opening ceremony, the company’s chairperson Kanak Mani Dixit said the company plans to use bigger busses in the future, and hopes for political support in this regard. He also stressed the importance of easy, efficient and dignified public transport and the right to affordable public transport that extends throughout the Valley (including a line between the Tribhuvan International Airport and Pokhara International Airport), even after hours.
He, furthermore, stressed the economic benefits of electric busses for Nepal’s economy and introduced plans for an electronic payment system, while expressing the need for private sector contributions and the close cooperation between the provinces to realise such plans.
In the past, Sajha Yatayat has benefitted from cooperation with the European Union-supported Solutions-Plus organisation in converting a large diesel bus into battery-driven.
Their cooperation will be extended, as they will soon hold a workshop on new transport-related technologies and exploring the possibilities of Nepal-based manufacturing, it has been said. Cooperation with a local university network has supported Sajha Yatayat in terms of inspection and operation of the 40 busses, which will be maintained by the establishment of a Center for Public Transport Research and Application to study the technical, financial and social aspects of public transport, they added.
