Sajha Yatayat, a SOLUTIONSplus consortium partner, started the operation of three electric buses in Kathmandu on 7th July 2022. The remaining 37 are planned to arrive in Kathmandu by October 2022. Sajha Yatayat, a cooperative government-owned organization, is able to procure 40 e-buses with the support of NPR. 3 billion (ca. 24 million Euros) from Nepal Government. These buses have 8.5m in length with a driving range of 200 Km in full charge carrying 60 people at a time. Sajha Yatayat is planning to add more electric buses to its fleet in the coming fiscal year which will include 10 to 12m intracity and intercity electric buses.
These e-buses were manufactured in Nanjing, China, customised to suit the demand of Nepalese road conditions. The e-buses have disabled-friendly accessibility, which is rare to find in city public buses in Kathmandu. To run the e-buses, Sajha Yatayat gives priority to female drivers.
These buses underwent three phases of testing and quality check viz. roadworthiness test, visual inspection, and range test before it was accepted for public use. These tests were performed by engineers from the government and Sajha Yatayat. Besides retrofitting an old diesel bus into an electric bus, our SOLUTIONSplus team at Kathmandu is also supporting Sajha Yatyat in the procurement and quality checking of new electric buses. Our SOLUTIONSplus team Gaurab Raj Pandey and Abhisek Karki were an integral part of the inspection committee.With the operation of the remaining 37 electric buses in its fleet, Sajha Yatayat will be the largest electric bus operator in Nepal. Hopefully, with the addition of more electric buses coming year, Sajha Yatayat will have its legacy back being the largest public transportation company in Nepal. Additionally, this helps Nepal’s economy by reducing the import of diesel and increasing the internal consumption of electricity. This not only reduces trade deficits but also helps to achieve the net-zero carbon target by 2050 as mentioned in Nationally Determined Contribution.
Written by:
Shritu Shrestha, Wuppertal Institute
Gaurab Raj Pandey, Sajha Yatayat
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