President, private bus unions discuss challenges faced by sector

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa held a meeting with representatives of private bus owners' unions yesterday to discuss a range of issues affecting them. 

During the wide-ranging discussion, the President instructed the National Transport Commission, Provincial Passenger Transport Authority and the Transport Ministry to work together to come up with a joint bus timetable to resolve this long-standing issue, the President's Media Division (PMD) stated. 

The President also highlighted that private bus operators seem to be responsible for many accidents reported on a daily basis and directed that attention should be taken to minimise this. 

Union representatives pointed out that bus owners are being forced to pay money to various intermediaries for a variety of reasons. President Rajapaksa instructed officials to take steps to prevent this from happening. He also emphasized the importance of private buses also having a distinguishing colour to mark them out, as with SLTB buses. 

Discussions were also held on the possibility of providing a Rs 300, 000 loan for bus owners to repair their buses, given the various technical faults they have suffered due to buses not operating during the curfew period. 

President Rajapaksa also emphasized the importance of the transport sector adhering to COVID-19 prevention guidelines issued by health authorities. As such, he insisted that the number of passengers being transported should be limited to the seating capacity of the bus. 

It was decided to amend the times that the state and private sectors commence work in a bid to reduce the number of passengers waiting for buses. 

The President also instructed that action be taken to look into the cleanliness of restaurants where long-distance buses stop for breaks. 

It was also decided to induct into service, buses that give more comfort to passengers.