Kathmandu-Lhasa Direct Bus Service Begins..

The first-ever direct bus service between Kathmandu and Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet autonomous region of China, has begun from Sunday.

The Sajha Yatayat will be operating the buses from Kathmandu to Lhasa while a private transport company will be doing the same from Tibet. It is expected that the bus service, which will be operational nine months a year, will bring in more Chinese tourists to Nepal.

On the occasion, the Chinese envoy said that China was ready to continue support to promote Nepal?s economy and tourism.

Forty passengers left Kathmandu for Lhasa today. The buses will cover 1044 kilometers during the nearly three-day trans-Himalayan journey. The fare for the journey has been fixed at $70. In the beginning, the bus service will be launched only once a week.

The agreement regarding the bus service, which will be operated for a trial period of one year, was reached between delegations of the two countries in March. Further agreements will be reached after evaluating the current service, it is learnt.