By Rusha Thapa

Bhaktapur: The law clearly states that public transport vehicles are not permitted to advertise products or services. However, in recent times, advertisements have become increasingly common on everything from taxis to public buses. Taxis parked along roadsides or moving through city streets can be seen carrying stickers promoting energy drinks such as Red Bull, digital payment services such as eSewa, QR codes, and various other commercial products.

These stickers are not placed on vehicles free of charge. Drivers and vehicle owners reportedly receive between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 5,000 per month from the respective companies in exchange for displaying such advertisements. This practice is reportedly against existing legal provisions. Ironically, public transport vehicles carrying numerous commercial stickers continue to operate openly in front of traffic police officers.

Both domestic and international visitors use Nepal's public transportation system. What impression do passengers get when they see vehicles covered with advertisements? What do foreign tourists think when they encounter such vehicles? They may conclude that public transportation in Nepal has been turned into a commercial advertising platform where anything can be displayed for money. This could negatively affect Nepal's image internationally.

Transport operators are prioritizing their personal financial benefits at the expense of the country's reputation. The development and beauty of any country are closely connected to its transportation system. In developed countries, public transport vehicles often follow uniform designs and color schemes. This makes them easier for visitors to identify while also contributing to the overall beauty and organization of cities.

In Nepal, government authorities frequently claim that they are working to bring uniformity to the transportation sector. Yet, transport operators continue to place advertising stickers on their vehicles according to their own preferences, while the authorities appear to ignore the situation.

Public transportation is essential for traveling from one place to another. Foreign tourists visiting Nepal also regularly use taxis, buses, and other forms of public transport. Unfortunately, when these vehicles are covered with advertisements simply to earn a small amount of money, they create an unattractive impression that can influence visitors' perceptions of the entire country.

Advertising is primarily the responsibility of media organizations, not public transport vehicles. The main responsibility of public transportation operators is to provide reliable and quality services to passengers. Unfortunately, public transport services in Nepal often fail to meet basic expectations.

Drivers and conductors frequently demand arbitrary fares and verbally abuse passengers who refuse to pay. Vehicles are overcrowded, with passengers squeezed together like goods in a sack, regardless of whether they are Nepali citizens or foreign tourists.

Transport operators mistreat passengers while simultaneously promoting products and services belonging to different companies. If they want to advertise, they should focus on improving their own services and building a positive reputation rather than turning their vehicles into advertising boards for other businesses.

The government must now take strict action against those who place unauthorized advertising stickers on public vehicles for financial gain. Traffic police should not simply watch such violations but should enforce the law and take appropriate action.

Citizens do not pay taxes merely to keep traffic police officers standing beside the roads. They pay taxes so that authorities can enforce laws and take immediate action against those who violate regulations. Home Minister Sudan Gurung must also take responsibility for this issue because maintaining the country's reputation and public order is an important responsibility of the Home Ministry.

Another serious concern is that old, damaged, and poorly maintained vehicles are often covered with stickers to make them appear presentable. Advertisements are even placed over broken, damaged, and deteriorating sections of vehicles, creating the impression that everything is in good condition.

On September 4, 2014, the Cabinet decided that public vehicles older than 20 years would not be allowed to operate. The decision was also published in the Nepal Gazette on February 18 of the same year. However, public vehicles that are between 23 and 35 years old are still operating on the roads.

From the outside, some of these vehicles may appear relatively normal, attracting unsuspecting passengers. However, their internal and external conditions have already deteriorated significantly. As a result, passengers face serious risks, and accidents can claim innocent lives.

Ordinary citizens continue to pay the price for the interests of transport operators. The risk of losing lives because of unsafe public vehicles existed in the past and remains a serious concern today.

Even after the formation of the youth-led government under the leadership of Balendra Shah, there has been little noticeable improvement in the transportation sector.

Home Minister Sudan Gurung and Infrastructure Minister Sunil Lamsal have yet to take effective action against vehicles carrying unauthorized advertising stickers or transport operators who put passengers' lives at risk for their own financial interests.

This situation creates the impression that even the current government is unable or unwilling to challenge the powerful transport business sector.

Another concern is that despite the government's strong promises of good governance and an end to corruption, the practice of issuing vehicle inspection and roadworthiness certificates in exchange for bribes reportedly continues in transport offices.

Transport operators are allegedly obtaining pollution-control certificates and vehicle fitness approvals without even bringing their vehicles for proper inspections. Meanwhile, heavily polluting vehicles continue to operate on public roads, releasing thick clouds of smoke.

Some operators reportedly pay government employees bribes of Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 3,000 to obtain inspection certificates and green stickers. Ordinary passengers are then forced to travel in vehicles that may not meet basic safety and environmental standards, putting their lives at risk.

The transportation sector is plagued by one irregularity after another. A transport syndicate system has existed for nearly five decades. New registrations for green- and black-plate taxis have remained closed for approximately four decades, while new registrations for electric three-wheelers and goods transport vehicles have also been restricted for decades.

The number of public transport vehicles remains limited. The number of vehicles has not increased proportionately despite the country's enormous population growth over the decades. Consequently, passengers are forced to pay high fares without receiving quality services and facilities.

Even citizens who want to purchase their own vehicles and operate them legally while paying taxes to the government often find themselves unable to enter the market because of restrictive policies and registration barriers.

As a result, the entire country and its citizens continue to suffer because of the dominance of a limited number of transport operators.

Despite these problems, the government appears unable to take meaningful action. Previous governments may have remained powerless in front of transport operators, but the current government also seems reluctant to challenge them, possibly because of political interests and electoral considerations.

If the government has been in office for nearly eight months, at least some visible improvements should have taken place in the transportation sector by now.

Interestingly, commercial advertising is no longer limited to public transport vehicles. Grocery stores and various other businesses have also started displaying advertisements for different companies.

Walking through local markets, one can see retail shops displaying promotional gates and structures advertising beverages and other commercial products. Some of these structures are reportedly installed by businesses that are not even properly registered.

Business owners receive money from companies in exchange for displaying these advertising structures. However, there is a serious safety concern. If one of these structures collapses, it could injure or even kill pedestrians.

Despite these risks, neither business owners nor the concerned authorities appear to be taking the issue seriously.

For the sake of earning a small amount of money, businesses are putting public safety at risk and contributing to the visual pollution of cities. Yet, the responsible government agencies seem to have paid little attention to this growing problem.

Unless the government takes firm action, the uncontrolled use of public vehicles and commercial spaces for advertising will continue to undermine public safety, urban beauty, and Nepal's national image.