Sri Lanka to enforce mandatory inspections for long-distance buses
The Sri Lankan government has decided to make a basic condition inspection mandatory for all long-distance buses before they begin their journeys. The new process will come into effect from the start of October 2025.
At the initial stage, inspections will be carried out under the supervision of the National Transport Commission, focusing on the Colombo Bastian Mawatha bus station and the Makumbura Multimodal Transport Center.
Long-distance excursion buses will also fall under this requirement, and no approval will be granted for any journey without passing the inspection.
Buses traveling more than 100 kilometers will be required to obtain a certificate of eligibility at least 48 hours before departure. The Department of Motor Traffic is preparing to issue the necessary guidelines for this through a circular.
When the process is expanded across the country, the Department of Motor Traffic will inspect vehicle repair garages, authorize them to conduct the inspections, and issue certificates of eligibility.
Steps have already been taken to implement the system nationwide.
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Too late is still better than never. It should not only be for long distance buses, it should be for any bus travelling above a certain speed. Long distance buses malfunctioning while travelling at lower speeds will cause no or few terrible accidents, but, both long and short haul buses traveling at high speed cause big accidents if malfunctioned.