LNP – Shortage of bus crew; operating buses becoming tougher: Gemunu

The Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) today lamented that they are unable to assign buses on the road due to a lack of crew members and also the operational failure of most Ticket Vending Machines (TVM).

LPBOA Chairman Gemunu Wijerathne told the Daily Mirror that most of their TVMs have become dysfunctional due to lack of batteries and not updating the system with the revised fares.

Therefore, he asked the people to bring the exact bus fare.

“Most of our bus drivers and conductors have left the industry and chose other livelihoods to earn their living during the pandemic period, and many bus owners are faced with the uphill task of repairing their buses due to the dearth of spares and high cost of repairs,” he said.

The Western Provincial Authority is contemplating to penalize the private bus owners for not operating the buses during the pandemic period, he said.

The current bus fares will be increased from Rs. 3 to Rs. 194 under the 350- section category. The minimum bus fare, which was Rs. 14 earlier, has been increased to Rs.17. The maximum bus fare, which was Rs. 1,109, has been increased to Rs. 1,303 after the fare hike