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| Sunday, 20 March 2005 |
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Transport authorities take up festival challenge by S. Selvakumar Private bus operators would not be allowed to go on special hires from April 7 to 22 in a bid to cater to the large number of commuters expected to travel out of Colombo for the forthcoming Sinhala and Hindu New Year, the Provincial Passenger Transport Authority announced. Timetables and route schedules too would stand cancelled to accommodate passengers according to demand. Transport Authority officers would man the main private bus stands 24 hours of the day and order any bus to operate on any route according to the needs of passengers. In the city 2000 buses would operate from the Gunasinghapura bus stand while 2500 would operate from the Bastian Mawatha stand. Buses also would operate in the afternoons to Colombo from Katunayake, Biyagama and Nittambuwa for the benefit of factory workers. The Provincial Passenger Transport Authority held discussions with bus owners and it was agreed that unlike in the previous years not to charge double the fare on the outgoing journey from Colombo. This practice was in vogue to compensate for the loss incurred since the buses return to Colombo almost empty. These announcements were made at a press conference attended by the chairmen of all provincial passengers transport authorities. The Chairman noted that most people whose homes are in far away places preferred to travel in the nights because they could reach their homes in the mornings. Chairman of the Western Provincial Council Transport Authority J.M. Somasiri said, "between April 7 and 22 we will have the authority to operate the buses according to passenger needs." Special long distance services will be provided in the Western Province from Kalutara, Panadura, Airport, Nittambuwa, Kaduwela and Avissawella so that the holiday crowds need not travel all the way to Colombo. At the press briefing a new digital ticketing machine was introduced and told that it costs Rs. 34,000 and nearly 100 such machines are now in use in the country and bus owners have said that their daily collections have shown an upward trend after introducing the machines to their conductors. |
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