PBOA requests for diesel subsidies

Friday, 10 February 2012 01:03

Private Bus owners have requested the Finance Ministry for diesel subsidies of Rs.76 per litre to keep up with the imminent rise in the price of diesel.

Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (PBOA) President Gemunu Wijeyratne said the subsidies were necessary to meet the rising cost of living and the rapid fall in the demand for bus services.

Wijeyratne said from 2010 to 2011 one bus lost an estimated 20 passengers each day due, an instead used alternate means of transport such as motorbikes and three-wheelers which were cheaper and more efficient than public bus transport.

“There are some elements that are interfering in the bus industry with the involvement of certain politicians. It is they who are responsible for the destruction of the economy,” Wijeyratne said.

Meanwhile private bus operators in the Southern Province have decided to go on a token strike on February 13 owing to the high diesel prices. Wijeyratne said the PBOA had given its consent to their decision. (Olindhi Jayasundere)

Comments

-0+9#Senarath2012-02-10 02:52

If Sri Lanka do not want to be another Grees, any subsidies should not be granted by putting future generation into crisses. Shortsigted subsidies will take country into crieses

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-0+20#Nodrog2012-02-10 06:12

Before demanding anything, first improve the bus service and the attitude of the bus crew towards the passengers which must have contributed to lesser people wanting to use your services.

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-0+9#Lanka2012-02-10 06:34

There are too many buses on the streets and issue tickets to all the passengers the loss could be prevailed.

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-0+6#ind2012-02-10 10:33

Loss is mainly not issuing tickets to the passengers and the owner doesn't know how much earned in a day. Big amount goes under hadnd to driver and the conductor.

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-0+5#M.J Anthony2012-02-10 08:35

An ever widening budget deficit and yet another subsidy??

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-1+6#Wara2012-02-10 08:48

In future people will use only SLTB only as public transport.

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-6+2#dinesh2012-02-10 11:31

you can see the destiny of so called liberal economies, particularly in the west, today. Authorities must learn from them and practice.

personalized economies such as motor cars, motor bikes, three wheels pose a risk, easy to collapse, a burden to each life, have to be got rid of, if you really study the recession presently the countries are suffering from.

PBOA is a true asset which must be well protected unitedly

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-0+2#Jamis Banda2012-02-10 13:10

Which side of the bed did you wake up from today? The problem is with the system we have - an old refinary geared only for a selected crude oil type - the standards of fuel is anyway bad etc... the whole industry should be privatized so that competition would lead to better fuel at lower prices.

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