Sunita Neupane, GPJ Nepal
Basant Kumar Shahi, center, sits with members of the National Riders Association, an organization he founded in July to represent motorcycle drivers who work for ride-hailing apps, in Kathmandu, Nepal.
KATHMANDU, NEPAL — Only a handful of people come at first, but it isn’t long before the tiny office space in the center of Kathmandu runs out of seats. Most are in their early 20s. A few have gray hair. All are men. A sign outside reads: “National Riders Association. Riders unite for policy. Today’s effort is tomorrow’s need.”
This is the scene at a meeting of one of Nepal’s only unions representing riders who operate two-wheeled taxis for ride-hailing and delivery platforms. At a desk in the corner sits 28-year-old Basant Kumar Shahi, who founded the association in July 2023.
Although not a rider himself — he lives off the income of a farm he owns in Kathmandu — Shahi was inspired to set up the group after hearing of riders’ hardships. One was struggling to pay for his wife’s medical treatment and blamed the apps’ high commission fees — up to 20% of a rider’s earnings, depending on the company. Another recounted how the company didn’t help after he suffered a crash while on the job. Many told Shahi they didn’t have time to organize.
So he decided to do it himself. The association began with 10 riders; it has more than 800 today. For a fee of 100 Nepali rupees (less than 1 United States dollar) a year, members have access to training on traffic rules, customer service and safety. In meetings, they discuss policy, traffic laws, platform rules and safety — or just vent about general problems.
“Because I’m not a rider, I thought at first that I wouldn’t be able to understand riders’ problems,” Shahi says. “But [one doesn’t] need to do the same work to understand someone’s humanity.”
At that September 2023 meeting, riders talked about the lack of parking spaces for two-wheelers in Kathmandu. “I get fined all the time by stopping where customers want me to,” Salim Bade says. Others nod in agreement.
Shahi listens to them attentively. When he speaks, his voice is gentle. At the end of the meeting, he says he will write a letter to the traffic police office and the Kathmandu metropolitan city government to request more parking spaces.
“Ride-hailing companies have provided employment to thousands of young people in the country. My goal is to ensure the longevity of this employment,” Shahi says.
A 2019 report by Nepal’s Ministry of Transportation tallied 26 ride-hailing apps working in Nepal. The two largest, homegrown Tootle and Bangladeshi-based Pathao, had a combined 26,500 motorcycle operators at that time in Kathmandu Valley.
So far, the association has asked companies to drop their service fees to a maximum of 9% and to provide riders with insurance and a pension fund. There are no current regulations that require companies to do so.
With Shahi’s help, riders also participated in the drafting of new guidelines developed by Kathmandu’s Department of Transport Management. If the regulations are implemented, companies will be required to provide insurance and ensure that riders have had a driver’s license for at least a year. Riders would also be obligated to provide helmets to passengers and to arrange regular vehicle inspections.
Pradip Adhikari is one of the association’s first members. He began working as a motorcycle taxi operator two and a half years ago, after returning from Dubai. When he started, he made 4,500 rupees (34 dollars) per day, he says, but as the number of ride-sharing workers in Kathmandu increased, his earnings dropped to around 2,000 rupees (15 dollars) a day.
Adhikari says he is satisfied with his work, but not having insurance against accidents or access to a pension makes him feel uneasy. Joining the association has helped him feel more hopeful for the future. “Before I had no one to talk to about my problems,” he says. “Working as a collective is more productive than working alone.”
Shahi hopes to eventually recruit riders in more Nepali cities. “The association is a house and we are members of the house,” he says. His goal is to legally regulate ride-sharing and secure rights for riders, passengers and companies. “We will always work as the watchdog.”
