The Sri Lanka Transport Board dispatched 1,490 buses from Colombo to outstation destinations within 24 hours from April 10, as the Avurudu travel rush entered its peak phase, SLTB Chairman Sajeewa Kanakarathna announced on Friday.
A further 1,500 buses from regional depots have been brought to the Colombo Central Bus Stand, with 1,200 additional buses deployed on regular services to handle overflow demand.
The highest allocations have gone to upcountry destinations — 148 buses to Kandy, 98 to Hatton, and 60 to Badulla — with Kanakarathna attributing the heavy allocation to disrupted train services following Cyclone Ditwah. The November 2025 cyclone caused extensive damage to rail infrastructure in the Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Hatton corridor, and services have yet to fully recover five months later.
The special Avurudu bus service now operates in both directions. Outbound services from Colombo run from April 8 to April 13, while return services from outstations to Colombo will operate from April 15 to April 21.
This is a significant increase from the initial plan of 1,500 extra buses announced on April 8. The Colombo-to-Kandy route has also received dedicated special bus services to compensate for the disrupted rail link.
The Sinhala and Tamil New Year, which falls on April 13–14, is the largest annual domestic travel event. Fuel conservation measures including a suspension of the petrol QR system through April 18 have been implemented to facilitate smoother travel during the holiday period.
