The online railway season ticket facility, currently limited to public sector employees, will be extended to private sector workers from September as a pilot phase, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake said.
Steps are being taken to make the facility available to private sector employees without difficulty by October, the Minister said. The online option for state sector employees was introduced last month.
Season tickets are the standard commuter product on Sri Lanka Railways, bought in bulk for a fixed route and period. Moving the purchase online removes a recurring in-person queue at station counters for regular commuters.
Seat belts mandatory on expressways
Rathnayake set out a series of road safety rules alongside the ticketing change.
From September 19, it will be mandatory for all drivers and passengers in vehicles on expressways to wear seat belts, a measure aimed at reducing injuries and deaths in road accidents.
A special 10-day training programme will be introduced for drivers working in public passenger transport, and regular mobile drug testing will be carried out. Measures will also be taken to ensure only standard-compliant, roadworthy vehicles are put on the roads.
Focus on motorcyclists
The Minister said several measures are being introduced to protect motorcyclists, who account for the highest number of road accident fatalities. These include promoting SLS-certified safety helmets and plans to introduce dedicated lanes for motorcyclists in future.
Police figures released the same day support the emphasis: of 1,749 road deaths recorded so far this year, 617 were motorcyclists — the largest single category — with a further 122 pillion riders killed.
