Sri Lanka Transport Minister to make state bus enterprise a profiting venture

Colombo: Thirteen employees withdraw salaries from the income of one bus belonged to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), says the Minister of Transport Kumara Welgama.


SLTB has taken measures to increase the number of buses to make it a profiting state enterprise from next year, the Minister said. SLTB has planned to purchase 500 new buses on leasing arrangements instead of requesting allocations from the Treasury.

SLTB is facing a severe dearth of drivers, conductors, and mechanics to run busses although it is over-staffed. The Minister said that vacancies of these trades would be filled soon.

SLTB ran 920,218 kilometers of public transport services in 2009 at an income of Rs. 41.31 per kilometer, the Minister said.