President Mahinda Rajapaksa instructed Transport Minister Kumara Welgama to take immediate action to import 500 additional buses to augment the SLTB fleet. This decision was taken after a meeting between President Rajapaksa, Transport Minister Kumara Welgama and Ministry officials at Temple Trees yesterday (2 August).

Under the first phase of the program 100 buses will be imported soon, a spokesman for the Ministry said.

He added that an increase in the SLTB fleet was requested by the President since he had noticed there was a lack of buses on long distance routes over a long period. All Ministry officials were informed to make the Sri Lanka Transport Board a profitable and productive venture soon. The President called for a formal study to be carried out in each sphere of the SLTB and action taken where there are shortcomings that need urgent remedy.

He stressed the need for a separate study to be carried out on each non profitable depots in the country to identify the shortcomings and remedial steps taken. The workforce of the SLTB needs to be encouraged and fair schemes adopted to redress their grievances in a bid to increase productivity, the President advised the officials.

The spokesman said that most of the SLTB buses are old and they cannot compete with the private bus sector. He said some buses are as old as 15 years and they need constant repairs. Each day these buses break down and it causes frustration to the bus employees as well inconvenience to the commuters.