New bus stand gift for 2026 New Year travellers: Minister

Colombo, June 17 (Daily Mirror) - The Transport Ministry is planning to offer passengers a special gift for the Sinhala and Hindu New Year in 2026 the opportunity to travel to their hometowns from a newly renovated central bus stand, Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Minister Bimal Ratnayake announced.

The Minister made these remarks during an inspection tour of the Central Bus Stand managed by the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) yesterday (16). A special discussion was also held on the progress of the ongoing renovation work at the site.

As part of the Clean Sri Lanka initiative, launched with the support of the Defence Ministry, plans are underway to refurbish 50 major bus stations across the country.

Minister Ratnayake further said that from June 30, the government will introduce 85 new road safety regulations, while over 1,000 drivers have already undergone special training at road safety centres, with training programmes continuing.

The Minister also revealed plans to introduce a social security and pension scheme for private bus drivers and conductors, similar to the system in place for SLTB employees, within the next year.

Additionally, efforts are being made to make bus tickets compulsory, while integrating SLTB and private buses on the Kandy route and Route 138 to reduce road accidents, the Minister added.