Private bus owners today threatened to go on a countrywide strike if the government refused to accept their proposal to increase bus fares or failed to provide diesel subsidies for private buses.

Bus fares were increased on February 14 last year and the Transport and Private Transport Ministries assured that bus fares would be amended when they were next reviewed in February this year.

However the Sri Lanka Private Bus Owners Association which operates 16,000 out of 20,000 private buses in the country and controls a greater part of the public transport sector said the authorities had not provided a fuel subsidy as requested or its request to increase bus fares. (Olindhi Jayasundere)