With long lines around the petrol pumps and people stocking food products at their homes, Nepal is facing a fuel crisis. We don’t know when things will get better, so we have to adapt to the situation and prepare for the worst. The following are some of the things you can do to help you get around town.

Bank on pedal power

Kathmandu is small enough that you can get from point A to point B pure on pedal power. Cycles are easy to maintain and do not pollute the environment in any way. What’s more, cycling may be the perfect way to start burning your calories and using your fat store reserves to fuel your commute: the faster and longer you cycle, the more body fat you burn. If you have been looking for an excuse to buy a cycle then you won’t get a better chance than this. And cycles will not burn a hole in your wallet if you want to stick to bikes that you will be only using within the city area. If you don’t need anything fancy, there are cycles that you can buy for Rs 4,000 or less; if you want to not just ride the city streets but take your bike out on a spin around the countryside, then you can get sophisticated, lightweight, sportier ones. But they can cost you anywhere from 20 grand and get all the way into five-figure territory. Still, if you really want to use this fuel crisis as an opportunity to get a lifestyle change, investing in a good bike will do wonders for your health. It will be money well spent. Fun fact: there are some cycles in Nepal that exceed the Rs 10 lakh price point.

Get an electric scooter

These eco-friendly vehicles look exactly like the scooties you see zipping on our roads—only, instead of being powered by fossil fuels, they run on electricity. In most electric scooters, the electricity is stored on a board inside a rechargeable battery, which drives one or more of the scooter’s electric motors.

There are some electric scooters that allow you the option of pedalling as well—something that could come in handy in times when you run out of battery juice.

Invest in a hybrid car

Hybrid cars run on both fuel and battery; that is, they have two motors that run on two power sources. Under their hood, you’ll find an electric motor and a motor that runs on fuel. You can switch between electric mode and normal mode whenever the need arises. Seemingly designed with a country like Nepal in mind, where there are either long hours of load shedding or fuel shortages, this car can help you get through difficult times. During load-shedding hours, when you can’t charge your car, you can run it on fuel, and when there is a scarcity of fuel, you can drive around on its stored electric power. A hybrid is one handy car to own.

Start car pooling

During a crisis such as the one we are living through, you and your friends or family members can start a carpool system. When you and your family/ friends work, study or live in close proximity, you can all hop into a single car and have it drop the carpoolers at the places you need to get to. Doing so will save the fuel consumed by two or more vehicles. Since the even and odd number rule on vehicles has been instituted now, if you do opt for carpooling, you can plan

things such that during the even numbered days use the vehicle owned by a family member/ friend with an even number plate and on the flip days, ride along on an odd-numbered car.

Use of public vehicle

There still quite a large number of public vehicles plying on the roads, although their numbers are admittedly down. Make use of them even it means that you’ll be crammed in like one sardine among a school of sardines. You’ll also be doing your bit to conserve our fuel stocks: if 10 of switch from our personal vehicles to the bus, we’ll all be helping save fuel.