SLTB to import 100 buses

by Ranil WIJAYAPALA

The Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) will purchase 100 new buses this month at a cost of Rs. 360 million to strengthen its current bus fleet and launch a semi luxury bus service from Colombo to Jaffna, CTB Chairman M.D. Bandusena told the Sunday Observer.

He said that the 100 new buses are due to arrive in Sri Lanka on August 1 to improve the Colombo- Jaffna CTB bus service and would be deployed for other bus routes too.

He said the SLTB currently open buses to Jaffna from Badulla and Anuradhapura but the Colombo-Jaffna bus service will be launched only after these buses arrive from India.

The SLTB chairman said that they are planning to purchase 500 new buses this year and quotations have been already called from companies to purchase these buses.

The 100 new buses will be sent from Ashok Leyland of India, he said.

With these 500 new buses the SLTB fleet will increase to 5,500.