Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2016-01-27

Repairing 1000 nos. passenger buses of the Sri Lanka Transport Board, with the objective of providing a more efficient and comfortable bus service to the general public

- Due to the lack of adequate public transport facilities, the general public are trending more towards the use private modes of transport, instead of public transport modes, for their day-to-day travelling requirements. This situation has directly led to the increase of traffic congestion on main roads and the rise in the number of traffic accidents. Finding a solution for this issue has become a main responsibility of the Sri Lanka Transport Board. Therefore, arrangements have been made to operate 6000 buses in the year 2016, to provide a better transport service to the general public. The maintenance of a fleet of at least 6900 buses, in good condition, is essential in order to operate 6000 buses. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Nimal Siripala De Silva, the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, to enhance the quality of SLTB buses through the repair of 1000 buses with a lifespan of over 10 years, on priority basis, by using the necessary spare parts and to procure such spare parts through the open bidding process, was approved by the Cabinet.