The Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association has accused the government of wasting approximately Rs. 7 billion of public funds on the new Metro Bus initiative.

Chairman Gamunu Wijeratne asserted that the Metro Bus project is essentially a rebranded version of the Sri Lanka Transport Board’s (SLTB) existing system.

Wijeratne warned that the scheme would further damage the country’s passenger transport infrastructure, which he claims was already devastated by the SLTB. “It is because of the SLTB that passenger transport in Sri Lanka was destroyed. Now, by introducing Metro buses, this government is doing the same again. 

This is how the Treasury is being wiped out. This is a national crime,” he emphasised.

He further argued that the new buses would not resolve the systemic inefficiencies plaguing public transportation but would rather replicate past failures, ultimately draining taxpayer resources without delivering meaningful improvements.