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Private bus service to come to a halt today

01 Apr 2022

  • Bus owners say unlikely to be operational during festive season
BY Dinitha Rathnayake Due to fuel shortages, private buses will have to stop the provision of their transport services today (1 April), according to the All Island Private Bus Owners’ Association. Speaking to The Morning, the association’s President Gemunu Wijeratne also claimed that the Government is not providing sufficient fuel requirements from the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) depots at the moment. “A total of 70 private buses were running on the High Level Road previously, but now it has been reduced to 10. From 1 April, there will be no buses due to fuel shortages.” A decision was taken to supply fuel for private buses through depots owned by the SLTB, and Transport Minister Dilum Amunugama said that the decision was taken considering the obstacles faced by private buses due to the shortage of diesel. Accordingly, all SLTB depot managers were instructed to provide fuel for private buses. However, according to Wijeratne, SLTB depots do not provide fuel for private buses, and instead, fuel their SLTB fleet. Private buses, including the inter-provincial buses, are unable to operate due to fuel shortages. According to the bus associations, there are many reports of buses carrying passengers stopping halfway due to the lack of fuel and the buses not being able to reach intended destinations or even travel between two locations in the same vicinity. “We will not be able to provide the service for the convenience of the commuters travelling to their hometowns from Colombo for the New Year festival either. I am pretty sure that no one is celebrating New Year this time,” Wijeratne noted.


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