The dealers said the sales peak during the period between March and May.

Tata, Eicher, Swaraj Mazda, Mahindra and Ashok Leyland are some of the brands that sell school buses in the domestic market.

“Sales are picking up and bookings are encouraging too,” said Sushil Subedi, product manager of Tata school bus at Sipradi Trading, authorised distributor of Tata in Nepal.

The company sells eight school bus models—from 14- to 56-seater—under Marcopolo and Wrangler brands. Sipradi recently launched the Ultra school bus in the premium range that comes with better safety features, comfort and mileage, among others. “Safety is also another concern of the parents, so Tata launched the vehicle with better safety features,” said Subedi.

Sipradi also offers prizes like Smart TVs, laptops, three-in-one scanners and multimedia projectors on the purchase of Tata school buses. “During the March-May period, we sell 100 buses monthly,” said Subedi, adding they expect 25 percent growth in sales this season.

Tata’s 36-seater Marcopolo is its best selling school bus in Nepal. It is priced at Rs 2.93 million.

Eicher’s Nepal distributor Eastern Motors has also launched the Pro 3008 series priced at Rs 3.75 million. “Bus is one of the factors that attract students. So education institutions are giving more importance to comfort and safety features,” said Kavita Upadhyay, manager of sales and marketing at Eastern Motors.

The company has three models—from 28- to 50-seater. Upadhyay said the company plans to launch various promotional activities.

National Motors, authorised distributor of SML Isuzu, has launched the S7 school buses that come in 30-, 37- and 50-seater options. “After the merger of Swaraj Mazda and Isuzu, we launched this new school bus,” said Manoj Bikram Shah, general manager of sales and marketing at the company.

The company also sells the Swaraj Mazda WT 50 with LWB bus in 18-, 21-, 26- and 31-seater options. The vehicles cost between Rs 2.75 million to 3.63 million.