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Uniforms, ID cards for vendors in buses, trains
View(s):By Damith Wickramaratne
Vendors are to be allowed inside buses and trains from next month. They will wear a uniform jacket and a special identity card, a senior Economic Development Ministry official said yesterday.
“Not only that, these vendors will also be given a three-day crash course and training conducted by the Tourism Development Authority,” he said.
At present some 2,500 vendors are sell items in buses and therefore it was necessary to coordinate their activities with a degree of discipline, he said.
The latest decision was taken at a discussion among officials from the Ministry of Economic Development, Sri Lanka Railways , the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), and the Private Bus Owners’ Association,.
According to the official, vendors will not be allowed to operate inside moving buses and trains.“They could board a bus or a train but must get off before the vehicle begins it journey. However vendors will be allowed to operate on moving trains that do not have a canteen,” he said.
A recent decision to outlaw mobile vendors sparked-off a massive demonstration in the heart of the city and it apparently prompted the authorities to regularise it.
The officials said about 17,500 family members depended on the mobile vendors while another 5,000 people were dependent on them.
Mobile musicians who operate mainly in trains will be also given the same opportunity, according to the official.
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