• Given till 1 July to improve quality, resting services to also be provided for bus operators   

The Government has decided to take measures to improve the quality of restaurants that provide services to passengers on long-distance bus routes. Restaurant owners will be given time until 1 July to address existing services-related issues.

This was noted by Transport, and Highways Minister Bimal Rathnayake during a press briefing held yesterday (21) on the steps being taken to reduce road accidents.

According to Rathnayake, action will be taken against the restaurants that fail to bring their standards up to the required level by 1 July. While the Health Ministry and the Consumer Affairs Authority have already been informed to enforce the law against such restaurants with effect from 1 July, the Police’s assistance will also be obtained when necessary. In addition, restaurants certified by the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) will be reviewed to ensure their adherence to standards, and SLTB-owned buses will not stop at restaurants that fail to improve the quality of their services.

“Our intention is not to shut down these restaurants, but to transform them into places suitable for passengers to visit. I think that those businesses will also grow through this (programme),” he claimed, also pointing out food safety-related issues associated with restaurants located along long-distance bus routes. Expressing concerns about buses that stop at restaurants providing substandard services, he opined that neither bus operators nor restaurant owners have a right to place passengers in situations where they are compelled to obtain services from such restaurants.

Moreover, steps will be taken to provide rest services for bus operators at these restaurants, according to him.