Compulsory colour code for passenger transport vehicles despite protests from bus owners
View(s):By Bandula Sirimanna
Despite protests from private bus owners, Sri Lanka is going ahead with a new colour code system for passenger transport buses and school vans enabling it to be identified easily, officials said.
This move would help to properly regulate motor vehicles being used for different types of passenger services and identify these separately as well as to minimise road traffic accidents and bring more discipline on roads, they added.
But bus owners have expressed their protest against the introduction of a colour code for vehicles, owing to the cost.
Chairman of Lanka Private Bus Owners Union, Gemunu Wijeyaratne told the Business Times that the bus owners are against this move as they have to bear a heavy additional expenditure of around Rs.150,000 to re- paint a bus.
He noted that they will have to take out the bus from its daily transport operations for at least five-day for re-painting and they cannot afford to do so.
Commissioner General of Motor Traffic S. H. Harischandra told the Business Times that the main aim is to identify passenger transport vehicles easily and it will get the attention of everyone including motorists.
Separate lane on roads could be allocated for such vehicles in the future minimizing road traffic congestion, he added.
Private passenger transport buses will be painted light blue, Pantone colour code 2707C, while passenger transport buses of the Sri Lanka Transport Board will be painted red, Pantone colour code 185C.
School vans and school buses are to be painted yellow, Pantone colour code 1375C.
This move will also help to tackle the unregistered vehicle problem, he said.
Mr. Harischandra pointed out that passenger transport vehicles should be identified separately and the new colour code is aimed at properly regulating vehicles being used for different types of passenger transport services.
He noted that there was a need to identify school vans to prevent various child abuse incidents taking place in some of these vans.
Arrangements are being made to ensure that all school service vans are in one colour yellow and under one monitoring body.
He revealed that measures would be taken to get the school service van system and it’s monitoring under the central government.
He disclosed that there was no proper institution to register the school service vans and they are currently registered by the Road Transport Authority at Provincial level. The Transport Ministry is now seeking advice from the Attorney General’s Department to tackle this issue.
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