Dashain has been providing a reason for meeting people who have
remained ignored for a year. Mothers expect their sons to come back
home, and so they come back! No matter where you are, Dashain always
encourages you to return home and meet your family members. When
somebody asks you when you are returning home, Dashain will probably be
the answer. They say that more than 60 percent of the people living in
the capital come from outside the Kathmandu valley. The capital has been
the place that provides job, good education and so on. Living in a
centralised country, it is not surprising to hear that people from all
over gather in Kathmandu. And they want to return home for Dashain.
There are basically two ways of travelling in Nepal. We don’t have water ways or railways. This limits us to airways and roadways. Flying is the best way to travel, but it’s for the big shots. Ticket prices go up by 75 percent during this season. Also, you need connections to get an air ticket. So you better buy your tickets early or they will be sold out. I am a student, and I have to go back to my hometown Biratnagar for the festival. For me, the roadway turns out to be effective, hence I prefer this easy and cheap means of travel. However, it’s not that it lacks side effects. It’s irritating to travel during this time. First, they don’t care about your identity card. You purchase the ticket or you don’t, it doesn’t matter to the bus companies. They are going to get plenty of passengers willing to pay the full fare.
That’s not all! They trouble the passengers during the journey by cramming as many passengers as they can.
The roof will be occupied and even the aisle in the bus will be occupied. You must call yourself lucky if you only manage to get fresh air. Pickpockets and thieves are another source of trouble. They show you a picture of a new bus while selling the ticket, and then bring the oldest local bus claiming that the new bus has broken down! When we make payment for the service, why don’t we get good service? I blame the concerned authorities for ignoring this aspect. Let the bus company charge Rs 50 more, but they must give the best service to the satisfaction of their passengers.
If the bus lines provide this kind of honest service, their tickets will be sold well in advance; plus they will receive goodwill. And despite the fact that we are well aware of the prevailing trend, why do we hesitate to make early bookings? At least at the same price we will be receiving good seats. And when we are dissatisfied with a certain bus company, let’s ignore the company the next time so that they feel and realise their mistake. Have a safe journey!
Published in The Kathmandu Post on Oct 3, 2012
There are basically two ways of travelling in Nepal. We don’t have water ways or railways. This limits us to airways and roadways. Flying is the best way to travel, but it’s for the big shots. Ticket prices go up by 75 percent during this season. Also, you need connections to get an air ticket. So you better buy your tickets early or they will be sold out. I am a student, and I have to go back to my hometown Biratnagar for the festival. For me, the roadway turns out to be effective, hence I prefer this easy and cheap means of travel. However, it’s not that it lacks side effects. It’s irritating to travel during this time. First, they don’t care about your identity card. You purchase the ticket or you don’t, it doesn’t matter to the bus companies. They are going to get plenty of passengers willing to pay the full fare.
The roof will be occupied and even the aisle in the bus will be occupied. You must call yourself lucky if you only manage to get fresh air. Pickpockets and thieves are another source of trouble. They show you a picture of a new bus while selling the ticket, and then bring the oldest local bus claiming that the new bus has broken down! When we make payment for the service, why don’t we get good service? I blame the concerned authorities for ignoring this aspect. Let the bus company charge Rs 50 more, but they must give the best service to the satisfaction of their passengers.
If the bus lines provide this kind of honest service, their tickets will be sold well in advance; plus they will receive goodwill. And despite the fact that we are well aware of the prevailing trend, why do we hesitate to make early bookings? At least at the same price we will be receiving good seats. And when we are dissatisfied with a certain bus company, let’s ignore the company the next time so that they feel and realise their mistake. Have a safe journey!
2 comments:
Pain related to travelling during big festival like Dashain can be joke for the regulating bodies and transport workers' association. They are looking for making money also from the worst serviced that they provide. Majoriry private and public sector service providers don't care about the quality service. Rather they create situation to follow cartailing.
Thank you Deepak Dhungel for the comment. Yes, the pains that the every passengers face through is really heart touching. Money and Services should be matched, plus extra care from State regulating bodies is also necessary!
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