Nepal, June 4 -- On Monday, streets in many major cities in Nepal got unusually quiet as public transport operators went on a nationwide strike. Many commuters, including patients and students travelling in and out of the cities, were stranded. The strike came in response to the Gandaki province government's introduction of new rules to regulate ride-hailing. Although the regulation intends to formalise and oversee ride-hailing companies operating through mobile apps, the 'central struggle committee' of transport operators believes it goes against the interest of public transport and is unlawful.

Even as there was an understanding between the federal government and public transport operators to suspend ride-hailing regulations, the Ganda...