The Hon. B. Ariyawansha

¶ 01 Madam Presiding Member, Hon. Ravindra Bandara’s Motion is timely. Historically, passenger transport evolved from bullock carts to lorries and later to buses like Rosa, Leyland and Tata. We welcome your initiative.

¶ 02 However, importing only luxury buses is not a complete solution. Such buses are unsuitable and too expensive—over Rs. 30 million—for many rural and hill routes. While the Government can procure for SLTB, the private sector carries a heavy load on both rural and main routes. There must be concessions to help private operators purchase compliant buses; otherwise, they cannot afford them.

¶ 03 I must also note many rural roads are in poor condition. In Kolonna, the Embilipitiya–Sooriya Kanda road is in bad shape; likewise the main Colombo–Ratnapura–Embilipitiya corridor is now very difficult—journeys that once took 3.5 hours now take 5. We must improve the road network alongside bus standards.

¶ 04 Rural transport facilities are currently very limited. SLTB should deploy more buses for schoolchildren, as many parents spend large monthly sums on private vans, straining household finances. Please increase SLTB buses for rural communities. Thank you.