Gongabu Bus Park wears deserted look even after opening advance ticket bookings

KATHMANDU: The Department of Transport Management has opened advanced booking of bus tickets for the Dashain festival from today.

The government has been opening advance booking of bus tickets before Dashain for the past few years to minimise crowds at the ticket counters.

The ticket counters at the Gongabu Bus Park, which used to be chaotic and extremely crowded with the opening of bus tickets in the past, wore a deserted look on the first day today.

A large number of people used to leave Kathmandu valley to celebrate Dashain in their hometowns in the previous years, but it has been assumed that the number of people leaving Kathmandu will be decreased this year due to risk of coronavirus infection.

The government did not open pre-booking travel tickets for Dashain last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Saroj Sitaula, general secretary of the Federation of Nepali National Transport Entrepreneurs, said that he was surprised to see no one in the ticket counters to book the tickets.

“People used to line up and struggle in various ticket counters to buy tickets to go to their hometowns to celebrate Dashain festival. But, the people who book tickets from counters or online are less in number this year,” he said.