SLTB makes history by deploying first female bus conductors
The Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) has begun deploying female bus conductors from today (February 6), marking a historic first with 20 women officially appointed at the Makumbura Multimodal Transport Centre.
The appointment ceremony was held today with the participation of Deputy Minister of Mass Media Dr. Kaushalya Ariyaratne, Member of Parliament Samanmalee Gunasinghe, and SLTB Chairman Sajeewa Kanakarathna.
The newly recruited conductors were presented with their appointment letters and introduced to an official new uniform created for them.
They will initially be assigned to buses operating on the Makumbura–Kadawatha expressway route.
In the future, based on operational needs, they will also be deployed on buses used for transporting schoolchildren.
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“With all due respect, this claim is inaccurate. The article states that this is a ‘historic first’ with 20 women officially appointed at the Makumbura Multimodal Transport Centre. However, female bus conductors were already deployed in Colombo in the late 1970s. That initiative was eventually discontinued because they struggled to manage fare evaders.”