All 104 newly imported Metro buses will be deployed for passenger transport from September, Lanka Metro Transit (Pvt) Ltd Chairman U.P. Thilakaratne told NewsFirst on Friday.

Thilakaratne said the fleet will operate across seven route pairs: Millennium City to Colombo Fort, Makumbura to Battaramulla, Borella to Panadura, Battaramulla to Ekala, Makumbura to Colombo Fort, Panadura to Town Hall, and Ragama to Battaramulla. Borella is expected to function as the central hub for the majority of operations.

Four dedicated depots are being established to handle maintenance and operations, with construction expected to be completed by the first week of August. “The buses will be maintained at these dedicated maintenance centres. In line with our current plans, every bus will be washed and cleaned internally on a daily basis,” Thilakaratne said.

Cashless by design

The chairman said the buses are fully air-conditioned and built around digital ticketing. “These buses have also been digitised, and payments will be made entirely through digital platforms. That is the key difference between these buses and the conventional buses currently in operation,” he said.

Thilakaratne also outlined a planned “Park and Go” scheme allowing commuters to leave private vehicles at designated locations and complete their journey by Metro bus. A facility is planned for Panadura, while a similar operation is already running at Makumbura.

“The objective is to provide a cost-effective alternative for people who travel alone to Colombo for work. By parking their vehicles and using the Metro bus service, commuters can enjoy significant economic benefits,” he said.

The September target follows the agreement signed in May to import the 104 buses, which were sourced from FOTON International Corporation in China and scheduled to arrive by August. Metro Transit operates the Colombo-area urban services that sit outside the conventional Sri Lanka Transport Board depot network.

Update (August 4): ministry confirms September expansion, but names different routes

The Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development said on Tuesday that the Metro Bus Service will expand from two routes to seven in September, at a media briefing held at the Lanka Metro Transit Corporation headquarters in Sethsiripaya Phase II, Battaramulla.

The five new routes named by the Ministry are Millennium City–Colombo Fort, Dematagoda–Panadura, Talangama Depot (Battaramulla)–Ekala, Makumbura (Kesbewa)–Pettah, and Kollupitiya–Circular Road, Bambalapitiya. The two services already running — Makumbura–Colombo Fort and Makumbura–Kadawatha — will continue.

Only one of those routes, Millennium City–Colombo Fort, appears on the seven-route list the operator gave NewsFirst on July 31. The Ministry’s list also indicates that two Metro routes are already in operation, where the earlier account described the service as launching in September. Neither the Ministry nor the corporation has explained the change.

The Ministry said the Lanka Metro Transit Corporation plans to grow the fleet to 122 buses by September 2026 and to 272 by the end of 2027. The service will focus on Colombo and its suburbs first before extending to other major cities in 2027, with a longer-term goal of a modern urban public transport network nationwide by 2032–2035, open to private sector participation.

The briefing was attended by corporation Chairman U.P. Thilakaratne, Chief Executive Officer B.M. Piyathilaka and Digitalization and Marketing Manager Eng. Ayeshmantha Maduranga.

Update (August 4, evening): routes get CM codes and colours

A later account from Ada Derana sets out the seven September routes with formal route codes and colour identifiers, and largely reconciles with the Ministry’s list rather than the operator’s earlier one.

The routes are CM 01 (blue), Makumbura to Pettah via Pannipitiya, Rajagiriya and Borella; CM 02 (yellow), Millennium City to Pettah via Athurugiriya, Malabe and Borella; CM 03 (indigo), Kadawatha to Makumbura; CM 04 (orange), Dematagoda to Panadura; CM 05 (purple), Battaramulla to Ekala; CM 06 (light green), the Kollupitiya circular route; and CM 08 (dark green), Kesbewa to Pettah. No CM 07 appears on the list.

Each of the seven corresponds to a route on the Ministry’s account, with Pettah standing in for Colombo Fort — which suggests the operator’s July 31 list has since been superseded rather than the two being in conflict.

Ada Derana said the service is intended to give commuters an efficient public transport option and reduce the number of private vehicles entering the city, and that a new digital system will link buses and drivers so services run to schedule and the network becomes more reliable.

Update (September 27): launch set for September 29, with bus lane enforcement from the same day

The rollout now has a date. All 104 buses enter service on Tuesday, September 29, across seven routes in the Western Province, Metro Bus Chairman S.M.U.P. Thilakaratne said, as reported by the Daily Mirror and Hiru News. He said all arrangements to begin operations have been completed, and that the official launch is expected to be held under the patronage of the President.

The route count holds at seven and matches the seven CM-coded services the Transport Minister published on September 17 — so this is a confirmation of the existing plan rather than another revision. Neither outlet lists the routes by name this time. Hiru describes the fleet as 104 new luxury Metro buses.

Thilakaratne framed the objective as cutting the number of private vehicles entering Colombo, “particularly vehicles carrying only a single passenger.” He said many commuters travel to and from work alone by car, adding to peak-hour congestion, and that shifting those journeys to public transport would ease it.

Police to enforce bus priority lanes from the same date

From September 29, police will also strictly enforce the rules on bus priority lanes in Colombo and surrounding areas, Hiru reported separately.

ASP Manoj Ranagala of the Police Traffic Control and Road Safety Division said the seven designated lanes in the Western Province operate from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. During those hours other vehicles may not use or park in them. Motorists may enter a lane only to avoid an emergency or accident, to get through severe congestion, or to make a required turn.

Ranagala said the lanes are open to all passenger transport buses, not only Metro buses, and that police will conduct strict checks and take legal action against violators.

One inconsistency is worth noting: Hiru attributes the seven-priority-lane figure to Thilakaratne, the Metro Bus chairman, while the Daily Mirror attributes the lane detail to ASP Ranagala. Neither account says whether the seven bus lanes correspond to the seven bus routes. The chairman’s name also appears here as S.M.U.P. Thilakaratne, where the July and August accounts gave U.P. Thilakaratne.

Still unpublished, two days out: fares, timetables and the launch-day service pattern.

Sources: NewsFirst, Daily Mirror (July 31 rollout), Ada Derana, Daily Mirror (September 27), Hiru News — 104 buses, Hiru News — bus lanes.