Sundar Yatayat and Mayur Yatayat have started to ply some of their vehicles in the initial phase in Kathmandu at a time when the Federation of Nepalese National Entrepreneurs decided not to comply with the government’s decision to resume intra-district public transport services.

The federation has demanded that the government make provisions for tax waivers, facilitate the implementation of safety measures, and direct banks to allow them to restructure their loans as pre-conditions for the resumption of public transport.

Sundar Yatayat Private Limited, the first company to bring electric buses for public transport in Kathmandu last year, has started operating four buses whereas Mayur Yatayat, the company that challenged the public transport syndicate by plying along the Kathmandu-Banepa route in 2018, is running seven buses on the Ring Road.

Both the companies have abided by the safety protocols such as use PPE by drivers and their helpers, mandatory masks among passengers, providing sanitizer to passengers, carrying only 50% passengers in each trip, and sanitizing the vehicles after every trip, as directed by the government.

Similarly, some tempo operators have also decided to ply their vehicles in Kathmandu and Sajha Yatayat also plans to operate its 30 buses from Thursday in compliance with the government’s safety guidelines.

Mayur Yatat has informed that it will operate all its 44 big buses by this week after undergoing repairs.

Health experts and virologists, however, have termed the government’s decision to allow public transport to resume as risky, as the Kathmandu Valley has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases in the last few days.