Safe Trip Nepal

A 'safe systems' approach for enabling traffic injury prevention in Nepal.

Project details

Full project title: Safe Trip Nepal

Work Package 2 focuses on long-distance bus safety in Nepal: A safe systems approach for enabling safer public bus transport in Nepal.

Sponsor: National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)

Principal Investigator: Professor Julie Mytton (Centre for Public Health and Wellbeing, UWE Bristol)

CTS and other researchers:

  • Dr Jonathan Flower, Co-Investigator and Work Package 2 Lead (CTS, UWE Bristol)
  • Sunil Joshi, Co-Investigator  (Kathmandu Medical College)
  • Sanjeev Neupane, Senior Research Associate (NIRC), 
  • Pranita Rana, Research Associate (NIRC)
  • Pratik Adhikary, Postdoctoral Researcher (NIRC)

Partner: Nepal Injury Research Centre (NIRC)

Start date: 1 November 2022

End date: 31 October 2026

Project summary

The research project has a primary objective of providing evidence-based recommendations to the Government of Nepal to enhance the safety of the long-distance public bus transportation system. It seeks to achieve this by first identifying and analysing the multifaceted factors influencing the provision of public transport services, including regulations, training, vehicle standards, and affordability, and understanding their impact on passenger safety.

Furthermore, the project aims to uncover the motivations driving the current state of public transportation, such as profit incentives and regulatory compliance, and to pinpoint effective levers for change among various stakeholders, including users.

Lastly, by examining data on crashes and injuries occurring in public buses across different highway sections in Nepal, the research aims to identify cost-effective interventions that can mitigate key risk factors, thus fostering a shift towards safer practices and policies within the public transportation sector. This comprehensive approach holds the promise of significantly improving the safety of long-distance public bus transport in Nepal for the benefit of all passengers.

View the project website

Anticipated impact

Reduction of road traffic crashes and injuries in Nepal.