Private buses to slash services by 50% over fare dispute

Colombo, June 7 (Daily Mirror) - Commuters across Sri Lanka could face major transport disruptions from tomorrow as private bus operators have decided to cut services by 50 percent, citing mounting losses, rising fuel costs, and the government's failure to grant fare relief.

The Chairman of the Lanka Private Bus Owners Association, Gemunu Wijeratne, announced on Saturday (07) that private bus operators would restrict services from June 8 after authorities failed to respond positively to requests for a bus fare revision and fuel-related relief measures.

Speaking at a media briefing in Colombo, Wijeratne said around 25 percent of private buses had already stopped operating voluntarily due to financial difficulties.

He warned that the trade union action would intensify this week, with operators reducing the number of daily trips and limiting services to essential peak-hour operations.

According to him, buses will mainly operate during school and office rush hours, while several scheduled trips will be cancelled. He said routes that normally run four trips a day may be reduced to three, bringing overall operations down by nearly 50 percent.

Wijeratne accused the National Transport Commission and the relevant minister of failing to provide temporary relief to bus operators despite repeated appeals.

He highlighted that the annual bus fare revision, which is due in early July, must be implemented and noted that rising operational costs could result in a fare increase of between 20 and 25 percent.

The association also expressed concern over an anticipated increase in diesel prices later this month, warning that continued losses would make it impossible for operators to maintain normal services.

"The government must take responsibility for the inconvenience caused to passengers because buses cannot continue operating at a loss," Wijeratne said.