Advance booking for public buses yet to open as air tickets nearly sold out

Advance ticket booking for public vehicles for travellers leaving the Kathmandu Valley for Dashain has not yet formally opened. Some companies are selling tickets online for destinations with many options, such as Pokhara, Chitwan and Bhairahawa. For remote destinations and places with poor transport access, however, neither the government nor operators have opened bookings.

Saroj Sitaula, chairperson of the Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs' National Federation, said that although officials discuss the matter almost daily, the decision on opening ticket sales has not been finalised. According to him, tickets are being sold for trips two to three days ahead, but formal bookings for travel during Dashain have not started. Sitaula said that online platforms are responsible for the bookings they have made on their own.

Normally, the Department of Transport Management opens route permits for the entire Dashain period and advance bookings proceed on that basis.

While bus bookings remain uncertain, air tickets for some flights have already sold out, reaching 100 percent.