SLTB gears for a better ride

by Ananda KANNANGARA

The Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) has focused special attention on deploying 100 luxury buses on long distance routes to meet the demand of passengers on pilgrimages and picnics or travelling to distant places during weekends and holidays.

Over 200,000 persons visit Nagadeepa and other important places in the Jaffna peninsula by SLTB or private buses during the weekends. Chairman, SLTB, M.D. Bandusena told the Sunday Observer that the objective of this luxury transport service, which would commence shortly, is to help the public who wish to journey to distant places such as Jaffna, Kataragama, Polonnaruwa, Kandy, Anuradhapura and Trincomalee comfortably and at affordable rates.

"A large number of holiday-makers now travel to distant places, especially Jaffna, with the dawn of peace after three decades," he said.

In addition to these 100 luxury buses, the SLTB will also import 400 buses, to strengthen its present fleet.

"We now operate over 4,500 buses all over the country on a daily basis and expect to increase the services gradually with the repair of buses which are currently idling at depot yards," Bandusena said.He said the SLTB could also be converted into a profitable institution with the introduction of these luxury service.

He said steps have also been taken to deploy additional school-buses in the North following a recent survey which revealed that there is a marked improvement in the schoolgoing population in the peninsula, especially after the conflict came to an end.