Fares of public vehicles plying along the Mechi Highway and its adjoining routes have been adjusted. Earlier, transportation fares along the Mechi Highly were hiked rampantly.
Transport entrepreneurs have reduced the hiked fares in coordination with the District Administration Office.
The entrepreneurs were forced to reduce the hiked fares after the DAO office received many complaints against exorbitantly hiked fares of the buses and jeeps plying along the Mechi Highway.
Prior to this, the entrepreneurs had increased the fares by 22 per cent in Ilam-Birtamod and Ilam-Phidim routes along the Mechi Highway and 15 per cent in other adjoining routes of the highway.
The revised bus fares have come into effect from Monday (September 26) for all the vehicles plying along the Mechi Highway while the fares in its adjoining routes would be reduced only after one month studying the condition of the inner roads, Chief District Officer Madhav Prasad Dhungana said.
With the new decision, the fares of Ilam-Birtamod route have been fixed at Rs. 430, down from Rs. 500 and at Rs. 480 on Ilam-Phidim route. Since coronavirus outbreak, the entrepreneurs had haphazardly increased the bus fares. They used to charge as much as Rs. 600 for travelling to Budhabare of Jhapa from Ilam.
CDO Dhungana said that the new fare rate has been fixed based on the fare rate determined by meeting the Local Transport Management Committee held on October 4, 2021.
According to the official rate fixed earlier, the fare from Ilam to Birtamod was Rs. 353, and from Ilam to Phidim Rs. 335.
Committee coordinator and CDO Dhungana said that action would be taken against the drivers and vehicles which collect fares exceeding the new rates.
Source : TRN,
