As the government prepares to launch ‘Blue Bus’ services through Sajha Yatayat to make public transport safer for women, a claim circulating widely on social media that the cooperative’s green buses will be repainted blue is false.

Sajha Yatayat has clarified that the colour of its buses will not be changed for the new service. According to Bhupendra Aryal, the chief executive officer of Sajha Yatayat, most images of blue-coloured buses circulating online appear to have been either generated using artificial intelligence or digitally altered.

Aryal said the ‘Blue Bus’ initiative refers to a dedicated service concept rather than a change in the physical appearance of the vehicles.

“Sajha has its own distinctive brand identity. There is no plan to change the colour of our buses,” he said. “We are discussing the use of stickers or other visual markers to identify the buses as a separate service for women.”

He said the buses could carry stickers, banners or other signs to help passengers recognise the women-focused service, but there was no plan to repaint Sajha’s green buses blue.

Aryal said eight electric buses with a seating capacity of 26 passengers each are scheduled to begin free service for women from July 17. However, the exact operating hours and the final number of buses to be deployed have not yet been finalised.

Under the preliminary plan, the electric buses will operate on three routes in the Kathmandu Valley. Two buses will run along the Budhanilkantha–Lagankhel–Godawari route, two on the Nagdhunga–Airport route, and four on the Ring Road.

Of the four buses assigned to the Ring Road, two are planned to operate on the Koteshwar–Gaushala–Kalanki route, while the remaining two will run on the Koteshwar–Satdobato–Kalanki route in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions.

The government included the ‘Blue Bus’ service in its 100-point governance reform action plan released on March 27. Under the plan, authorities aim to introduce at least 25 buses within the first 100 days of implementation.

While presenting the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle had also announced that the government would introduce a women-focused service equipped with closed-circuit television cameras to improve safety in public transport.