The Chairman of the Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA), Gemunu Wijeratne, has raised procurement and compliance concerns over the introduction of new low-floor luxury buses by the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) in partnership with the Metro company.
Wijeratne said he supports public transport modernization in principle but questioned the manner in which the project was implemented and how public funds were managed.
“These buses have been bought using taxpayers’ money. As a trade union, we have a responsibility to question how those funds are being managed,” he said.
He alleged that established procurement procedures and tender processes may have been bypassed, and said requests made under the Right to Information Act regarding the Metro company had not yet received a full response. He also questioned whether the buses had obtained the route permits required to operate on Western Province roads.
Each bus is estimated to cost around Rs. 42 million. Wijeratne said that although the fleet is branded as “luxury,” the buses appear to allow standing passengers — a departure from conventional luxury specifications. “Luxury buses are usually designed for seated passengers. If standing passengers are allowed, has the law been amended?” he asked.
He further questioned the buses’ suitability for local road conditions and criticised the use of manual accessibility ramps, arguing that modern systems typically rely on automated features. Referring to earlier transport initiatives that had failed despite significant public investment, he called on authorities to release a profit and loss statement after one month of operations.
The concerns come as the government rolls out several parallel transport-modernization efforts, including the Clean Sri Lanka low-floor accessible bus pilot from Makumbura and the CHOGM-era bus refurbishment programme.
