Private bus operators have formally demanded a 5 percent fare hike or fuel subsidy to absorb two May diesel price increases, after a 15-minute discussion at the Ministry of Transport and Highways on Thursday morning, Ada Derana reported.
Representatives of bus associations were told by the Private Secretary to Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake that an urgent meeting would be arranged with the minister to take the matter forward. Operators said they expect to meet the minister on Friday.
The talks follow two consecutive auto diesel price increases last month — a Rs. 10 rise on May 3 and a further Rs. 15 on May 30 — both attributed by the government to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East driving up the import bill.
Private operators say the cumulative Rs. 25 increase within a single month has placed significant strain on the industry and is making operations increasingly difficult.
Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association Chairman Gemunu Wijeratne criticised the current handling of the issue, saying ministers should be properly briefed before making public statements. He told reporters that the associations expected to meet the minister on Friday and warned that a decision on further action would be taken next week if the matter were not resolved.
Thursday’s demand re-opens a dispute the government appeared to close earlier this week. On June 2, Deputy Public Administration Minister Prasanna Gunasena said no immediate fare revision was being considered, arguing that the Rs. 25 diesel rise alone did not warrant the National Transport Commission triggering the fare formula. Operators’ renewed push for either an interim hike or a fuel subsidy now puts the question back on Minister Rathnayake’s desk, who oversees both the SLTB state bus fleet refurbishment programme and the LMT Go GPS-tracked metro bus app.
