Kathmandu: As election season takes hold in Nepal, activity on the roads rises sharply and so does fuel consumption as political parties ramp up campaigning and transport voters across the country.
Transport operators say vehicle movement typically increases by at least 25 percent during election periods, and could climb around 30 percent this time due to the entry of newer political forces alongside traditional parties.
The spike begins more than a month before polling day but intensifies in the final weeks, when candidates arrange large-scale transport to bring supporters and voters back to their home districts to cast ballots.
Motorcycles, cars, jeeps, microbuses, and large passenger buses all see heavy deployment, with buses in especially high demand in the last few days before voting.
Although the Election Commission sets limits on how many vehicles candidates can officially use, industry representatives say actual usage often exceeds those caps.
According to the National Federation of Transport Entrepreneurs, individual candidates have in past elections reserved between five and ten large buses, and that figure could rise further as more parties compete.
In the Kathmandu Valley and other major cities, groups of migrant workers, students, and jobholders are often transported in batches to their hometowns, with parties covering travel costs that might otherwise discourage participation.
Traffic police data show that on normal days roughly 35,000 passengers leave the Kathmandu Valley, but during recent elections that figure has climbed to around 45,000 per day.
Transport operators are already servicing and preparing extra vehicles in anticipation of the parliamentary election scheduled for late February.
The federation has also urged the government to repair damaged highways and fill potholes in advance, warning that narrow and degraded road sections on major corridors such as Narayanghat–Butwal and Naubise–Muglin could cause severe delays under election traffic pressure.
The surge in vehicle use has a direct impact on energy demand: Nepal Oil Corporation estimates overall fuel consumption rises by at least 15 percent in the week leading up to voting, driven by campaign travel and voter transport, particularly in the plains and accessible hill regions.
The state fuel supplier says it has instructed depots nationwide to maintain full storage levels and is confident there will be no shortages.
On ordinary days, Nepal consumes roughly 2,200–2,500 kilolitres of petrol and 4,200–4,500 kiloliters of diesel daily, but past election months have recorded sharp jumps, including periods where diesel use alone exceeded 145,000 kiloliters in a single month.
While some past spikes coincided with major festivals, officials acknowledge that elections themselves are a significant factor, underscoring how Nepal’s democratic cycle places visible strain on transport networks, logistics systems, and fuel supply chains.
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