Fares of luxury buses plying on expressways will be reduced by 10 percent from midnight yesterday.
The expressway bus fare revision came into effect the day after the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) and Lanka IOC (LIOC) reduced the price of auto diesel by Rs. 15 per litre from January 2 midnight.
Addressing a media briefing held at the Mass Media Ministry yesterday, Transport, Highways, and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardana said that normal buses and luxury buses plying between Colombo and Kataragama on the Galle Road are running as usual, but the semi-luxury bus services running on the same section of the Galle Road will be cancelled from yesterday midnight.
He further said that the technology fee of buses running on expressways is determined based on four main points including passenger load factor, number of running days, bus fare, and profit.
The Minister added that the objectives of the National Transport Commission Act must be fulfilled and sacrifices have been made to succeed in that purpose. Accordingly, the passenger load factor for buses running on the expressways has been reduced from 80 to 50 and the number of days running on expressways has also been reduced from 300 to 200. The profit has also been reduced from 12 percent to six percent, and the bus owners have been ordered to pay the technical fee of Rs. 1.2 million, which was Rs.3.3 million earlier.
Government Information Department Director General Dinith Chinthaka Karunaratne, National Transport Commission Chairman Shashi Welgama, and National Transport Commission Director General Dr. Nilan Miranda were also present.
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