But to the respite of commuters and travelers, some people have come forward with the offer of free rides to those in need to their destinations.A group of youths have set up a public group called Carpool Kathmandu on Facebook. More than 11,000 people had joined the group in less than six hours after it was formed.
People willing to offer a ride and those who need it both post the time and place from where they wish to be picked up or dropped off. Those whose routes match then get in touch to find out whether they can share the ride.
Asha Bhandari, principal of a pre-primary school in Jhamshikhel, got a ride up to Kaushaltar with the help of the public group on Facebook on Wednesday.
"As public vehicles are crowded, I was prepared to walk from Jhamsikhel to Kaushaltar. But the public group turned out to be helpful. I got a ride till my house," said elated the 26-year-old.
One of the members of the group, a girl, had posted that she could was offer a ride from Gwarko to Shreejanagar, Bhaktapur. Asha contacted the girl and negotiated the ride. "Although I had to walk from Jhamshikhel to Gwarko to get the ride, I preferred it over overcrowded public vehicles," said she.
Bhawana Gautam, another member of the group, offered lifts to two persons on Thursday. She said she offered a ride to a student from Maharajgunj to Thapathali and to a girl who was heading to her office at Maitighar.
Both of them had negotiated the ride with Gautam on Facebook after seeing her offer on the group Carpool Kathmandu.
"Helping others in need gives you a sense of satisfaction. The student I helped was heading to appear in his board examination," shared Gautam.
After India imposed the unofficial blockade and the government introduced odd-even license plate system to cope with the fuel crisis, many vehicles have stayed off the road, increasing hardships for commuters. Hundreds of people were seen desperately waiting for buses or jostling to get inside one.
"I am really thankful to the person who came up with the idea to create that group on Facebook," added she.
Social networking sites are full of posts encouraging those with vehicles to offer rides to travelers.
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