SLTB BUSES REPAIRED & RE-ADDED TO SERVICE RURAL AREAS

by Zulfick Farzan 31-12-2020 | 3:14 PM

Colombo (News 1st); 273 buses of the Sri Lanka Transport Board, which were taken out of service due to dilapidation were repaired and re-added to the passenger transport system on Thursday (31).

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa graced the occasion at Galle Face Green and these buses will be added to transport passengers in the most rural areas in the country.

Dilum Amunugama, State Minister of Transport Regulation, Bus Transport Services and Railway Carriages, Motor Industries, initiated the program under the guidance of Transport Minister Gamini Lokuge, said the Department of Government Information.

Vehicle imports were restricted after the new government came to power to rebuild the collapsed economy and as a result, there was a shortage of buses for passenger transport, said the Department of Government Information.

The buses were repaired and re-added to the service as a solution to this problem, and the project will save foreign exchange spent on bus imports.

273 buses that were completely out of service at 107 depots islandwide have been repaired at a cost of Rs. 115 million.

The project is being implemented by the Sri Lanka Transport Board Depot and Lakdiva Engineering Company with the full support of the Sri Lanka Public Transport Employees Union.

The President inspected the quality of the buses and encouraged them to engage in a cordial conversation with the employees of the Sri Lanka Transport Board.