Commuters can now monitor the real-time locations and estimated arrival times of Metro buses through the LMT GO mobile application, Deputy Minister of Transport Prasanna Gunasena said, announcing a new GPS-enabled passenger feature on Sunday.
Speaking at the launch of the facility, Gunasena said the service lets users check when a bus will reach a given stop, view active routes and fares, and estimate journey times to upcoming destinations, Newswire reported. The initiative is part of the government’s effort to make urban commuting “more planned, convenient, and reliable”, the Deputy Minister said, urging commuters to download the LMT GO app to use the new feature.
The rollout adds a passenger-facing layer on top of an aggressive Metro fleet expansion programme. The Ministry of Transport in May signed an agreement with Indra Traders (Pvt) Ltd to import 104 new Metro buses due in August, on the back of the country’s first dedicated Metro Bus depot breaking ground at Kadawatha — a Rs. 102 million facility scheduled for completion by July 30 to receive the new buses.
Metro Transit Company is an SLTB affiliate operating modern services on key Colombo corridors. The Metro programme is being championed by Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake and Gunasena as the flagship vehicle for urban public-transport reform, alongside the Sri Lanka Transport Board’s 400-500 driver disciplinary action drive targeting fare and conduct violations on the legacy fleet.
The Ministry did not disclose how many buses are now GPS-equipped or whether tracking will be extended to the wider SLTB and private bus fleets.
Sources: New GPS tracking feature introduced for Metro buses — Newswire.
