• Ticket revenue fraud by employees blamed
• UNDP help sought for electric bus charging stations

The Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) is losing approximately Rs 20 million every day due to ticket revenue fraud committed by some of its employees, Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake told Parliament.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday (22), he said the losses continued despite the Government increasing salaries, safeguarding employee rights and allocating public funds to purchase new buses. "We have increased salaries, protected employees' rights and allocated taxpayers' money to procure 800 buses. Despite all of that, some employees continue to defraud the SLTB by misappropriating ticket revenue. This amounts to about Rs 20 million a day," he said.

He also claimed that officials linked to corruption are still serving within the State-owned bus operator. "There are still officials within the SLTB who are connected to various corrupt practices," he said.

The SLTB has for many years faced allegations of corruption, financial mismanagement and operational inefficiencies. Successive Governments have introduced various reform measures aimed at improving the institution's financial performance and service standards.

Meanwhile, the Lanka Private Bus Owners' Association (LPBOA) said the Association is planning to establish electric bus charging stations with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) support, asserting that the lack of charging infrastructure is the major issue that they face in their planned initiative to bring electric buses. Speaking to The Daily Morning, LPBOA Chairperson Gemunu Wijeratne said that while plans are underway to import electric buses as a measure to grapple with surging diesel costs, the major challenge that they are encountering is the absence of charging spots to operate the proposed buses expected to be imported. He said that the Government is not being supportive in this regard and hence the Association is seeking external support.

"We had discussions with the Government and the UNDP in this regard. The UNDP is helping us in the development of this project with funds but the Government is not supportive," he said. He also mentioned that the buses that will be retired from service due to the arrival of the new buses will be sent to rural areas, while the electric buses will be operating in urban areas. Following the Government's initiative to bring metro buses to the country, he criticised the project, and this move comes in the wake of fuel price hikes. However, the Association had announced plans to bring electric buses to the country in May, and for this initiative as well, they have sought UNDP support. The UNDP had earlier supported the Government to establish charging points.

Rathnayake meanwhile said in Parliament that the Government is planning to completely transition the transport sector to metro buses by the year 2035. He also mentioned that they are inviting the private sector, municipal councils, and cooperatives to enter the industry.

Attempts to contact Deputy Transport Minister, Dr Prasanna Gunasena proved futile.