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Bus fares up by 7.6 pc
Bus fares up by 7.6 pc
Private owners not satisfied, threaten strike
Bus fares, both private and public, have been increased by 7.6 per cent, with effect from July 1. However, Private bus owners, not satisfied with the fare revision, have threatened to go ahead with their strike scheduled for next Monday (27).
Private Transport Minister C. B. Ratnayaka on Thursday ruled out the possibility of the government considering the Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association demand for a 15.5 per cent fare increase. He said that the government wouldn’t give in to LPBOA’s demand in spite of a threat of a strike on Monday.
Transport Minister Kumara Welgama said that he was ready to operate about 6,000 SLTB buses to meet the LPBOA threat.
Both Ministers Welgama and Ratnayake said that the government wouldn’t budge vis-a-vis LPBOA pressure tactics.
Addressing the media at the Private Transport Ministry, Minister Ratnayaka said that the LPBOA had held two meetings with him over the bus fare revision, but the government couldn’t accept their ‘unjust’ demand.
The minister acknowledged that the private bus fleet catered to about 70 per cent of transport needs and about 43,000 bus crews depended on the service. "They are daily paid employees who do not have EPF and ETF benefits. In case the strike continues for several days, their families would face problems," Ratnayake said.
LPBOA President Gamunu Wijeratne said that his union would launch the strike on Monday. Despite boasting of contingency plans, the government could not meet the transport needs of the people, he said, warning there would be chaos unless the government met their ‘just’ demand for a 15.5 per cent fare hike.
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