Lanka Citizen

President of the Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (LPBOA) Gemunu Wijeratne yesterday expressed his opposition to the donation of 177 buses by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for Public Sector Bus Transportation. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government said the buses were donated to recover the set back of the passenger transportation system in the country. Wijeratne, protesting the move by the Tokyo authorities, said that if they are donating buses to revamp the ailing public sector transport system they should provide buses to the private bus operators since the private busmen are responsible for 80 % of conutry’s passenger transport fleets with 18,500 buses in operation, including in the north and the east with 500 buses in Jaffna district alone.

According to Transport Ministry Secretary, D. S. Jayaweera `EC the buses so far received from the 177 fleet donated by Japan has been used to strengthen the urban bus services and reduce the traffic congestion by attracting low occupancy vehicle users. At present the poor level of urban bus services has encouraged the increase of low occupancy vehicles he said adding it was a timely move by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. “These buses will be made use to improve the Urban Transportation System.

Already 69 buses have been received by the Ministry while the rest is being shipped” Jayaweera said.

Wijeratne accused the government of incurring additional expenditure of Rs 100 million a month to pay salaries to the employees after the SLCTB was revamped recently. Asked whether revamping the SLCTB wouldn’t have competition in the passenger bus transportation system hitherto monopolized by the private bus owners he said the SLCTB will run in to losses in the future due to unnecessary expenditure and excess staff.

Japanese Ambassador Akio Suda in a message said ‘Sri Lanka’s demand for a good and a quality transport system has been growing with urbanization and industrialization. Colombo which is smaller than Tokyo, is still densely populated and hence would require more convenient transport service to meet the needs of the people. It is equally important that adequate buses are provided to other cities and rural areas of Sri Lanka as well.

THE ISLAND |