Private bus operators on strike today (August 05)
Passengers travel on the door of a public transport bus in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Photo by Pradeep Dambarage / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Several Private Bus Associations have launched an island-wide strike action effective from midnight yesterday (August 04), citing the failure of the authorities to issue sufficient stocks of fuel for bus operations.
The general secretary of the Private Bus Owners’ Association Anjana Priyanjith said they decided to suspend services on routes in protest of the government’s move to reduce the fares when bus operators are supplied with inadequate fuel volumes.
The National Transport Commission (NTC) slashed the normal bus fares by 11.14% effective from midnight yesterday (Aug 04). Accordingly, the minimum fare now stands at Rs. 34.00.
The Inter-Provincial Bus Owners Association, the United Bus Owners Association and the All Ceylon Private Bus Owners Association have joined the strike action, while the general public are left stranded on roads amid adverse weather conditions, affected by the strike.
President of the Lanka Private Bus Owners Association, Gemunu Wijeratne said his association stepped away from services last night.
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