"Sir, fee bhanu paryo" — every driving school office in Nepal hears this phrase at least ten times a day. Online payments do not eliminate it, but they cut the chase calls roughly in half. The question owners ask us is which gateway to turn on first: eSewa or Khalti?
Short answer: turn on both. But if you have to pick one to launch with this month, here is how we think about it.
The 60-second comparison
| Factor | eSewa | Khalti |
|---|---|---|
| User base in Nepal (2026) | ~7 million | ~5 million |
| Reaches older students (35+) | Better | Lower |
| Reaches younger students (18-25) | Comparable | Slightly better |
| Refund speed | 2-3 days | 1-2 days |
| Settlement to your bank | T+1 | T+1 |
| Driving Sathi integration | Yes, native | Yes, native |
When eSewa wins
- Your student base skews older (drivers learning for license category B / commercial).
- You already accept eSewa for some manual transactions and want a clean migration.
- You want the largest possible reach in Kathmandu Valley.
When Khalti wins
- Your school targets new young drivers (license category A, two-wheeler).
- You want the fastest refund cycle (for course cancellation refunds).
- You like Khalti’s direct-to-loyalty wallet experience.
What to wire into your invoice flow
In Driving Sathi, every invoice can carry a "Pay online" button. We recommend:
- Show both eSewa and Khalti as options on the invoice screen.
- Send the invoice via WhatsApp two days before due date, automatically.
- Send a second reminder on due date if unpaid.
- For students with two failed attempts in a row, switch their default to the other gateway.
The fee math
Both gateways charge ~1.5–2% per successful transaction. A school doing Rs. 6 lakh / month in online fees pays around Rs. 9,000–12,000 in gateway fees. In return we have measured an average lift of Rs. 80,000–120,000 / month in on-time collections (fees that would have stretched into the next month). The math is not close.
If you want to see both gateways live on your own invoice template, book a 20-minute walkthrough.