Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has launched a carpooling initiative after cutting down on fuel.
Employees residing in the same area have begun sharing vehicles on a rotational basis. Under this arrangement, they are required to pick up and drop off colleagues living in their vicinity while commuting to and from the office.
KMC's Acting Mayor Sunita Dangol said that this decision was made to address the current fuel shortage and mitigate its potential long-term negative impacts.
"There is a global shortage of fuel. If we continue to operate vehicles as before, we might face a situation where fuel isn't available even for essential tasks and services. To prevent such a crisis, there is no alternative but to reduce fuel consumption. Therefore, we have implemented the carpooling program to avoid potential fuel-related issues," Dangol said.
KMC had already cut fuel quotas through its 48th executive committee meeting.
For the carpooling program, groups of officials have been formed based on their residential areas. Members of these groups rotate the use of their private or assigned vehicles to transport nearby colleagues. This initiative aims to reduce both the number of vehicles commuting to and from the office and overall fuel consumption.