New buses to improve public transport

by S.M. Wijayaratne, Kurunegala Cor.

The Government will add 2,285 new buses countrywide before the end of the year to provide a quality bus service. Transport Minister Kumara Welgama said 300 buses were put in service last month.

Another 500 new buses would be added to the transport service this month. Another 500 new buses would be added to the transport sector next month and 900 new buses would be added to the bus service in October and November.

The Transport Ministry hopes to discontinue old buses from the transport services and buses that are 15-20 years old would be taken off the roads and sold at public auctions.

A systematic program to maintain the new buses would be launched by the Transport Ministry said the NWP Provincial Minister of Transport Gunadasa Dehigama. He was speaking at a media conference of Kurunegala District Provincial journalists recently in Kurunegala. He said that the objective of the program was to provide the public with a quality and efficient bus service.