National Transport Commission (NTC) Director General Nilan Mirando said that the NTC is currently calculating the possible reduction of bus fares following the reduction in the price of diesel by Rs. 25 on two occasions including an Rs.10 reduction on December last year and an Rs.15 reduction on January 2, this year.
He said diesel was reduced by Rs.15 from midnight on January 2 and accordingly efforts will be made to reduce bus fares as well.
The relevant calculations are to be forwarded to the Transport Ministry for approval.Fares of all SLTB buses, private buses, and inter-provincial long-distance buses will be revised accordingly.
The relevant decision will be announced shortly in order to provide relief to the people.
That is the main aim of the government. People will be tempted to use the buses if the bus fares are reduced.
This will create a favorable situation for all the parties protected by the industry. On the other hand, bus owners will also succeed in their business.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Spokesman, Transport, Highways and Mass Media Minister, Dr.Bandula Gunawardena yesterday said a special discussion regarding bus fares of normal buses and highway buses will be held at the National Transport Commission today.
The Minister that the discussion will be held today at 10 am.
However, Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) Chairman Gemunu Wijerathne said it is not yet practical to give any relief to the public even though the price of auto diesel was reduced by Rs 15. He added that it is very difficult to calculate a fare percentage for the current bus fares according to the present price formula.
In order to consider the reduction of the bus fare, the price of a liter of diesel should be reduced by 4 percent. But with the recent price reduction, it was less than 2 percent and it is not worth having a fare revision. Therefore, reducing the bus fare at this moment would only lead to the collapse of the industry, he said.
“The price of spare parts has also increased. If the government can intervene and give relief for us.We have the capacity to give relief to the people,” he added.
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