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By Sandun Jayawardana 

The importance of improving the country’s passenger transport system for the public’s benefit was the focus when Parliament debated the National Transport Commission (Amendment) Bill on Thursday (5).

Opening the debate, Minister of Transport and Highways Bimal Rathnayake wondered aloud whether the country’s transport sector is progressing or regressing given it does not seem to be improving as a profession. “If we take the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), previous governments have actually murdered it. The SLTB has been destroyed to such an extent that even though we are making efforts towards restoring it, we are facing an uphill battle,” he said. Minister Rathnayake added that private buses also provide an extremely important service, though the wider public perception of private buses is quite negative.

Minister Bimal Rathnayake: Previous governments have murdered the Sri Lanka Transport Board

He added that corruption has also gone a long way towards denying people the transport options they deserve, pointing to the corruption surrounding the issuance of route permits for inter-provincial private buses by the National Transport Commission (NTC). “The process of obtaining a route permit has become as corrupt as obtaining a bar permit,” he quipped. The biggest change that the government will make to the transport sector through the new bill is to broaden the scope of the NTC to give it powers to regulate not just buses, but all modes of transport that travel on the country’s roads. The second major element in the amendment is to enable the drafting of regulations regarding the services provided, the standards to be maintained and penal consequences to be imposed for transport services, he said.

Minister Rathnayake also said the government would encourage developing new bus routes depending on what commuters want and how economically sustainable those routes will be. “We will provide the permits. We have no problem giving permits since we don’t take bribes to issue them,” he stressed.

The proposals brought by the NTC to improve passenger transport services through these legislative amendments are extremely timely, Chief Opposition Whip and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Galle District MP Gayantha Karunathilaka said. He welcomed the move to broaden the scope of the NTC to cover all transportation services including school vans, office transport services and three-wheelers. “Though we are happy with such changes, we have serious concerns surrounding the state of the country’s transport system,” Mr. Karunathilaka observed. He added that no matter where one goes in the country, it is a common sight to see large numbers of passengers crammed into passenger buses and trains on a daily basis, travelling in a very unsafe manner to their destination.  

There are several reasons for the issues ailing the country’s transport sector, the chief opposition whip said. They include lack of adequate transport facilities, high transport costs, traffic congestion, the increasing number of road accidents and toxic fumes released by vehicles. These were common problems in the sector.

Turning to issues in the railway sector, he noted there were not enough trains to meet passenger needs, while even the deputy minister of transport has recently admitted that Sri Lanka Railways is facing a severe shortage of engine drivers and other essential railway personnel. It is also common knowledge that railway commuters are constantly suffering owing to breakdowns in the railway signal system and frequent train delays.

New Democratic Front (NDF) Kalutara District MP Rohitha Abeygunawardena said he agrees that all previous governments had caused enormous harm to the SLTB by recruiting their supporters to its ranks. “But, the time has come where we need to take a serious look at how we can improve the SLTB the same way that we want private bus services to improve.”

He warned that a serious problem exists involving a minority of bus drivers who drive their vehicles while under the influence of liquor. While stressing he is not generalising all bus drivers, Mr. Abeygunawardena stressed there is an urgent need to come up with a mechanism where such drivers are identified and remedial measures taken. “We need to stop this now, or else we might find ourselves facing an enormous tragedy,” he remarked.

Road accidents claimed 2403 lives in 2024, while 4728 road accidents were reported from January 1 to May 31 this year, of which 1103 were fatal accidents, Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasena told the House. He reminded that on June 11, it will be one month since the tragedy of the Gerandi Ella bus accident which claimed 23 lives. Such incidents have inevitably led to a dialogue being generated in society regarding the quality and safety of public transport services.

Deputy Minister Gunasena however, said he believes the public still has love for public transport services. “We can still improve this. People haven’t given up hope,” he added. The government has identified and handpicked a group of officials it believes can turn the situation around and it will go on this journey with them to take public transport services to the next level, the deputy minister stated.

Parliament will reconvene at 9.30am on June 17.