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The Chief District Officer of Bardiya, Bed Prasad Kharel said that the concessions to be given by public transport as per the law will be fully implemented. He added that the discount facilities that senior citizens, people with disabilities and students get while traveling in public transport will be fully implemented.

Public vehicles are required to provide fare discounts to people with disabilities, senior citizens, and students for both long and short-distance travel. However, vehicles in Bardiya are not complying with this regulation and are not offering discounts to them. The government has established regulations stipulating fare discounts of 50% for individuals with disabilities and senior citizens, and 45% for students. However, Public transport in Bardiya has not implemented these regulations despite the provision of identity cards for verification of these specified groups.

Chief District Officer Kharel has assured that various transport officers and traffic police will conduct thorough inspections to ensure discounts are provided to senior citizens,people with disabilities, and students as per the law.

Likewise, Sudhansuprakash Sharma, the Ward Chairperson of Gulariya municipality-6, also the Municipal Spokesperson said that senior citizens, people with disabilities, and students traveling in public transport should get the facilities provided as per the criteria set by the nation. He added that many people aren’t aware of the discounts they should get, and bus operators are often unwilling to provide them such discounts. As a result, individuals from these specific groups are deprived of their rights.

The chairperson of the Babai campus Laxman Bhandari said that the public vehicles in Bardiya do not provide discounts to students. He expressed that no action has been taken despite his repeated effort to draw the attention of the concerned authorities regarding this matter. He stated, ‘Students are entitled to a 45 % discount on vehicle fare with their student ID card when using public transport. Unfortunately, students in Bardiya are being deprived of this right.’

Similarly, Prem Prasad Adhikari, Secretary of the Bardiya Blind Association highlighted that  individuals with disabilities and senior citizens are not receiving discounts on public transport as per law. He added that while some individuals aware about their rights manage to receive a certain amount of discount, many are left without it. Moreover, most ticket counter staff often try to provide only minimal discounts.

According to the Regulation on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021, individuals with disabilities shall be provided with a 50% discount on public transportation fares based on their ID cards. Similarly, the Senior Citizens Act 2006 provides that public vehicles shall have at least two seats for senior citizens over 60 years old and offer them a minimum of a 50% discount. However, individuals in Bardiya are being deprived of these rights despite these legal provisions.

Prakash Poudel