Private bus fares could rise by close to 20 per cent at the annual revision scheduled for next month if the government does not provide relief to operators absorbing rising fuel costs, the Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) said on Monday.
LPBOA Chairman Gemunu Wijeratne told reporters that private bus operations across the island had entered a “severe crisis” because of consecutive diesel price increases. Operators were facing significant financial losses, he said, and the industry was now actively considering trip reductions to limit operating costs.
If the government did not act before the upcoming review, Wijeratne warned, the annual bus fare adjustment could lift fares by nearly 20 per cent. Under that scenario, the minimum private bus fare — currently Rs. 30 — is expected to exceed Rs. 35.
Bus operations are coordinated through Provincial Passenger Transport Authorities, and Wijeratne said the LPBOA was preparing written notice to the relevant provincial bodies on proposed schedule adjustments tied to the current situation. Arrangements had already been made to submit the relevant correspondence to authorities in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
Monday’s warning follows the LPBOA’s Sunday announcement that private buses would operate at around 50 per cent of normal capacity from June 8 after a deadlock over fare revisions and diesel costs. Earlier in the month, private bus unions formally demanded a 5 per cent fare hike or a fuel subsidy on the back of two May diesel increases — Rs. 10 on May 3 and Rs. 15 on May 30. Deputy Public Administration Minister Prasanna Gunasena had told reporters on June 2 that no immediate fare revision was being considered on the Rs. 25 cumulative increase alone.
The 20 per cent figure is the first specific magnitude flagged by the LPBOA for the July annual revision, and shifts the dispute from a tactical relief demand to a structural fare-policy outcome that would directly raise commuter costs.
