Auto News
Private buses disgruntled
The Private Bus Operators today charged that they would go on strike in
early January 2011 in protest against a decision by the Western Province
Passenger Transport Authority to increase the issue of bus route
permits by 20% in the Western Province.
Private Bus Operators Association’s President, Gemunu Wijeyratne while
addressing a press conference today said that the decision to issue more
bus route permits is illegal and will have an adverse effect on bus
operators already plying the roads in Western Province.
“Route permits can only be issued if there are vacant positions for more
buses in the timetable set in place for bus operators for each route.
However, the Western Province is already overcrowded with a bus
over-supply of 20%. The over-supply will double if increased by another
20%,” Wijeyratne said.
He said that the oversupply will increase congestion on the roads
throughout the Western Province and the increased competition will
severely affect the income of bus operators already plying the roads in
the province.
Furthermore, Wijeyratne said that although cabinet gave approval for the
issue of route permits for buses plying the Jaffna-Colombo route two
months ago, these permits have still not been issued by the National
Transport Commission (NTC).
“The tender procedure has not properly been adhered to and as a result a
majority of the buses on the Jaffna-Colombo route are all unauthorized
buses,” he said. He said that there are some 100 buses on this route and
that this number is far more than the necessary requirement.
“A survey should be carried out on the bus requirement for the
Jaffna-Colombo route and accordingly route permits should be issued to
bus operators. Instead the NTC is carrying out a nonsensical process
which has no meaning to it and the Government is loosing millions of
rupees because of it,” he said.
Sourse:http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/8392-private-buses-disgruntled.html
Posted on Wednesday, December 15, 2010 @ 03:22:31 LKT
>> Back to News
