The government will enhance the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus fleet by adding 2000 buses within this year, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Civil Aviation Ashoka Abeysinghe yesterday said.
Accordingly, 1000 low-floor, diesel-hybrid modern buses will be added to the SLTB bus fleet by October 2019, Deputy Minister Abeysinghe said. “These air conditioned buses will be operating as an intercity service,’ he added.
Deputy Minister Abeysinghe was speaking at a press brief held at the SLTB, Narahenpita yesterday afternoon. “One thousand more normal buses will be brought in to the country by mid-2019,” the Deputy Minister added. “A tender has already been called for 500 buses and the government will be able to purchase them by June or July 2019,” he said.
“The procurement plan for this process will technically take 52 weeks to complete. We are trying to complete the tender procedure within 28 weeks.
We also have to deal with private bus owners who will most surely question the decision to increase the number of SLTB buses. They have already expressed their dissatisfaction with regards to the matter,” Abeysinghe said.
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