May 26: The public transport fare has been reduced in Bagmati Province, including the Kathmandu Valley. The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Transport has reduced the fare, nine days after the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) slashed the price of diesel.    
The ministry has decreased the fare of public transport vehicles operating on short routes within the Bagmati Province. The reduced transport fare has been published in the Nepal Gazettee.    
According to the latest fare of public transport determined by the ministry, the fare has been decreased by 5.9 per cent in the Kathmandu Valley. Siilarly, the fare has been reduced by 4.18 per cent for public vehicles and by 5.69 per cent for cargo vehicles operating in short routes outside the Valley, said Asman Tamang, secretary at the ministry.    
"The reduced public transport fare would come into effect from today (May 26) itself as it has already been published in the Gazettee," he said.    
The transport entrepreneurs had earlier determined the fare on their own as the public transport fare of vehicles operating on short routes was not increased even as the price of diesel went up. The public transport fare of only vehicles operating along long routes was increased at that time.    
NOC had reduced the price of diesel effective from last Wednesday. Immediately after this the government had reduced the public transport fare of vehicles operating on long routes. The transport fare of long route or inter-province is determined by the federal government while that of the short route or inter-municipality is fixed by the province government.    
The NOC on April 3 slashed the price of diesel and kerosene by Rs 10 per litre each and by three rupees per litre on petrol. It further reduced the price of diesel and petrol by Rs 10 per litre each effective from last Wednesday. As per the reduced fuel price, diesel now costs Rs 155 per litre.    
The transport fare of public transport vehicles operated in short route within the province was increased last year. As per the increased transport fare, passengers were charged Rs 20 upon boarding a public bus in Kathmandu Valley. -- RSS