October 29: The express bus service operated by the government since September 20 is on the verge of closure.

The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport had launched the express bus service with an investment of Rs 20 million without necessary study. As a result, the service has almost come to a standstill.

The ministry has been running 25 buses along the the 13 km Suryabinayak-Ratnapark route for delivering quick service during peak office hours. Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Prakash Jwala had claimed that the express bus service was a great achievement in the transport sector.

A separate lane was painted with red colour for operating the express buses. It was said that express buses would ply on that lane from 9 am to 11 am and from 4 pm to 6 pm daily. But now this service is in disarray.

Uddhav Prasad Rijal, director general of the Department of Transport Management, said that even though a separate lane has been arranged for express buses, the express bus service has not been effective as all the vehicles travel through the same lane.

"The buses operating under the express bus service and other buses have been using the same lane, which has reduced its effectiveness," he said, adding, "We are still new in the matter of providing express transport services, we are still learning. There was little research before the operation of the express bus service. We will take the matter forward in a more effective manner after Tihar.”

The express bus service has been criticized because the passengers of ordinary buses and other vehicles have had to face traffic congestion for hours because a separate lane was arranged in the name of express buses.

Critics said that the express buses were given more priority than ambulances and fire engines.

Director General Rijal said that they are studying the prospect of making all public buses plying on the separate lane to be operated as express buses.

The ministry claimed that the service was initiated only as a test and it is natural for some problems to arise in the management.

Shubha Shrestha, information officer of the ministry, said that the express bus service will be made effective after further studies.