Sajha Yatayat

A few days ago, I boarded the new Sajha Yatayat bus manufactured by Ashok Leyland. I am going to express my genuine feelings about the experience. I boarded the bus from Baneshwor and got off at Tripureshwor.

I know that Kanak Mani Dixit is a visionary person. I also know that cycles and big buses instead of private two and four-wheelers are very important for greener tomorrow. But, this does not fit quite right here, especially in the context of Kathmandu.

Getting back to that new bus ride, I have to admit it was not extraordinary. In fact, it was less ordinary than I had previously thought. The seat arrangement uses a smart technique of reducing the seat size and letting as much space as possible open for people to stand in. For a crowded city like Kathmandu, it is a really appropriate concept. But, this doesn’t end here. The seats were too small for a person of my size. And, for clarification, I am a teenager of very average size. Furthermore, the seats had absolutely no cushioning. Even local minibuses (not all, but most of them which have come under operation for a few years) have more cushioning and are more comfortable.

I have always wanted to stress the fact that minibuses are perfect means of transportation for Nepal. They are agile and can squeeze into the traffic. Sajha buses are too big and need too big a space to ply on roads, which is not available in Kathmandu. As the bus I was travelling on tried to turn in front of Singha Durbar, the sharp bend meant that it had to make a bigger circle but presence of many other motorcycles on the other end of road made it difficult for the driver. Also, the bus does not fit within a single lane and there is no dedicated bus lane in the roads of Kathmandu.

It took me half an hour to travel from Baneshwor to Tripureshwor. I am quite confident that a minibus would have taken less time for the same route.

But, I do not want to overshadow only the poor aspects of the big bus. The dedicated space for two wheelchairs at the back end of the bus is the facility that no other bus company provides. In a way, Sajha is paving a new way in every respect, firstly introducing big buses for Kathmandu and now by keeping dedicated space for wheelchairs in its buses.

Now, all I hope is Sajha is not sending these same buses on long routes too. If yes, I must say that the passengers need to get prepared for some back ache.