Sri Lanka Transport Minister announces key reforms for public transport

Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation, Bimal Rathnayake, recently held a special discussion with the Chairpersons of the National Transport Commission (NTC), Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), and the Provincial Road Passenger Transport Authorities representing all nine provinces.

During the meeting, several important decisions were made to improve public transport services across the country.

Key decisions include:

• Immediate implementation of an integrated timetable for the Puttalam route.
• Launching a pilot project on Route 138, where all buses will operate under a single association and share profits accordingly.
• Formal implementation of GPS and CCTV installation in buses to enhance safety and monitoring.
• Setting up an online ticket booking system in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Economy.
• Carrying out random drug and alcohol tests for bus drivers to ensure passenger safety.
• Making it mandatory to issue tickets through ticket machines, after allowing a grace period for operators to adjust.
• Creating official specifications for passenger transport buses.
• Making seat belts compulsory for bus drivers.
• Identifying routes for the deployment of new buses.
• Displaying WhatsApp numbers inside all buses, allowing passengers to report violations easily.

Minister Rathnayake instructed officials to expedite the preliminary work needed to implement these decisions.

He also emphasized the importance of regularly monitoring the progress to ensure timely completion.

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