Kathmandu-Before the last September, the Chinese government proposed to subsidize Nepal’s electric bus program. In response, the government also formed  a study committee to prepare a comprehensive report on the buses’ operation and management.

However, the Chinese government has yet to provide further details regarding the buses or the extent of their provision.

In collaboration with the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli-led government, China committed to supplying approximately 100 electric buses as a subsidy. The government formed a committee to study the operational aspects of the buses, including the methods and individuals responsible for their management.

On July 29,2025, a meeting attended by the then Chief Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal resulted in two key decisions: the management of the buses and the management of the charging stations.

A committee will conduct a thorough study of the electric buses received from China and submit its suggestions within a 15-day timeframe. Notably, the letter does not specify the number of buses that China will grant to Nepal.

The committee, coordinated by Krishna Prasad Pant, comprises five members: Prem Prasad Acharya, Joint Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, and the Director General of the Department of Transport Management.

The second decision aims to facilitate the allocation of land for parking and charging stations for the electric buses.

On August 24, 2025, under the coordination of Chief Secretary Aryal, a meeting was held to implement two decisions. The meeting sent a letter to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation.

These events occurred before the Genz movement. The committee, led by Joint Secretary Krishna Prasad Pant, had completed a study and submitted a report. However, the Genz movement erupted shortly after the report’s submission. Ek Narayan Aryal also served as Chief Secretary in the  Sushila Karki-led government that followed the movement.

A committee member recounted that when China announced its intention to provide electric buses under subsidy, the study committee conducted a thorough analysis and proposed operational modalities.

The member expressed frustration, stating, 'We submitted the report, and immediately after that, there was a nationwide movement. Where did the committee’s report go? Where did the issue of the buses that China promised to provide as subsidies go? After the movement, China also seemed dissatisfied, and it appears that this issue has become a dead end.'

During the GENZ movement, the Singha Durbar and the Prime Minister’s Office were set ablaze in an arson attack. Since the official report submitted by the committee was also burned, the issue has not been raised. Given China’s continued dissatisfaction with the lack of a favorable government, it seems unlikely that China has addressed or expressed any concern about the electric buses promised as subsidies.