14th July 1996

Fare, unfair

by Tharuka Dissanaike

Beset by multiple woes, bus services go from bad to worse

If there is anything worse than hell, it should be travelling by bus at rush hour in suburban Colombo. All those who go through the nauseating experience of waiting for hours at a dusty, grimy bus stand, often infested with dogs, beggars and sometimes even cattle, and running through garbage heaps to get to the bus first, fighting off other commuters to get a seat and then suffering a long tedious journey with standing passengers literally falling all over you, would agree that something has definitely gone very wrong with the country's transportation sector.

Beginning this month, bus fares were increased by 15 percent. Earlier train fares were also increased by 25 percent. Although there was no public outcry about these increments-mainly because of lack of consumer organization- the general public certainly resent these fare hikes. While the cost of living is sky rocketing, the transport services have increased the fares when the services remain bad, often worse that people naturally do not wish to pay more to be mangled in buses and trains.

Meanwhile the Treasury rejected a request by the Ministry of Transportation for Rs. 200 million to improve the bus and train services this month. The fare hike, which was on the cards for over a year, but was suppressed under political pressure until now, has to be implemented even though it is bad time for the general public.

"If they can provide a better service we do not mind a small price increase. But with things as they are, it is very unpleasant for the commuter," said a regular traveller to Colombo.

The main problem with the transport sector today appears to be the lack of buses. Either in the peoplised depots or private bus routes there are not enough buses. For the past decade or so, instead of increasing, the number of buses have fast depleted.

The most congested routes running mainly from Colombo to suburbs, are terribly under serviced. The number of buses in service is less than half the registered number of vehicles for a particular route.

The Gampaha -Colombo route (Route No. 200) has 60 buses registered but only 30 are on the service. Panadura-Pettah route ( Route No.100) has 300 registered buses but only 150 are plying, Piliyandala-Colombo (Route No.120) has 80 buses registered but only 40 are running. For the Colombo- Kataragama route 80 buses have route permit but just 20 on service.

Even those running are often break down or opt to take special hires that there are only a handful actually servicing the route.

The 93 peoplised bus depots have a combined fleet of 8500 vehicles. Of these only an average of 4800 are running. "Only 6000 buses are expected to run. The rest are a back up fleet". Central Transportation Board Chief Operations Manager M. C. Premaratne said.

This, leaves the general public stranded on roadsides with the burden of increased fares.

"The increase in fares is felt more strongly by those who travel short distances daily," said Kusum a factory worker in Kadawatha. "Before the increase my daily bus fare was Rs. 5, but now I have to spend Rs. 6 which means two rupees extra both ways. I have to pay for my children's school bus fare also. This is an extra burden on the family."

The bus fare from Ambalangoda to Colombo was increased by Rs. 2 and the fare from Colombo to Katunayake by Rs.1.

Priyantha, (22), travels from Ambalangoda to his workplace in Katunayake . "I spend an extra Rs. 6 every day. This increase is unreasonable for two reasons-one, the bus service is not improved accordingly and second, our salaries are not increased proportionately," he said.

"Although the government announced a 15 percent increase, the actual increment seems to be varied. I travel to Nittambuwa, mostly by "Intercity express". Although they say intercity buses did not increase fares, I now pay 50 percent more," said a lady Air Force employee. "Before the increase I paid Rs.10 from Colombo to Nittambuwa, now Rs. 15.

"We don't mind paying extra if they offer us a better service- with more buses especially during rush hour," Douglas Kodikara from Galle said. He travels to Colombo daily. He said that for long distance travellers the increase is not too hard.

But, "Increasing fares at this juncture tantamount to pick-pocketing the commuter," said W. Chandrasena, General Secretary of the commuter's Association. Ò At this time when the cost of living is soaring sky high and even school services are hardly existent, it is wrong to increase bus fares."

He said that bus fares must increase gradually, in order to keep the industry afloat but pointed out that there is apparently no long term plan for the betterment of the bus service.

To improve the bus service, the Association has several recommendations which they have already presented to the government. One is that there should be enough buses so the necessity to overload buses is minimized. To give tickets to passengers is another. To work bus routes to a set time table to ease rush hour congestion and keep service going day and night are other suggestions. The Association also asks for more courteous service and asks government to check insolent and abusive bus drivers and conductors.

Meanwhile bus drivers and owners complain that they have not quite got their pound of flesh. "We asked for at least a 35 percent increase in fares," Priyantha de Silva, a driver said. "Today buses are running because there is nothing else to do with the vehicle."

He said that ten years ago, an owner could buy another bus in two or three years from the profits reaped from one . "But today we are running at a loss."

"Long distance buses are running at a loss because the increase is not enough when compared to the service cost," said a time keeper at the Kataragama stand at Pettah.

The Bus Owners Association, complain loudly that theirs is a business on the downside.

"Buses are expensive, spares are expensive, tyres are expensive and there is no profits in the business," Riben Perera, President of the Association said.

"There are no new people coming in, those already in the business are pulling out. that's why there is a dearth of buses."

He said that to bring the bus services to some standard the bus owners too had several demands to make. One is to make buses, spares and at least three sets of tyres (six tyres) available at duty free prices to those in the business. Another is to make the procedure of obtaining route permits more flexible. At present if an owner is willing to sell his bus, regulations prohibit him from selling his route permit. "Because of this, people simply keep the buses off the roads," Perera said.

"The entire problem has its roots in the way the private sector was allowed to participate in transportation at the very beginning," said Prasanna Ranatunga, Minister of Transport of the Western Provincial Council. "The privatization of transportation with the open economy was ill planned and thus the entire sector has fallen into the pit. Today it is so bad, it could not get any worse."

Encouraging as it was to see that the authorities realize the gravity of the situation, what exactly is being done to ease the situation?

"When things have been deteriorating for a long time , it is difficult to bring about changes in a few months." Ranatunga said. "But we have already initiated various programmes to bring about a better service."

Ranatunga has to oversee the running of the private bus service in the Western Province, some 5500 owners- no enviable task. He agreed with the bus drivers' request for duty free buses. He also had agreed for bank loan facilities and once a year increment in fares.

"But of course the commuters wish for a better service. We have begun training programmes for bus drivers and conductors to teach them proper ways and means of handling people." Ranatunga said.

He said that the lack of co-ordination between his Ministry and the Ministry of Transport of the Central Government is a problem when it comes to policy change and fiscal matters.

There are things that cannot be done at PC level and have to be tackled by the Central Ministry, but so little is being done, he said. If the private bus service is to come up to some standard, another 1000 buses should come to the road.

The Sri Lanka Central Transportation Board (SLCTB) meanwhile said it too is seeking government funds to repair some 1200 unserviceable buses now idling in depots. "Initial funding will only be enough to repair 500 of these buses." Premaratne claimed. It was earlier said that the peoplised bus services are running at a loss of Rs. 1.40 for every kilometre. "The fare increase is good. Now the depots should begin to maintain buses better," he said.

Taking into consideration the situation of the entire transportation sector which is further crippled by the reluctance of the government to fund or subsidize it is hard to see conditions improving. Public transportation should definitely be considered an essential service. The crippling of which would lead to immense hardship to the public and the already beat-up economy. The illness of the transport sector if left unattended could be fatal-to the entire country.

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