Buses must commence journeys when 50% seats occupied

(FASTNEWS | COLOMBO) – The Ministry of Transport says all buses must commence their commute when 50% of seats are occupied, to facilitate more passengers along the way from Monday onward.

It is mandatory that buses only carry passengers according to the number of seats, whilst it also remains compulsory that all commuters wear face masks while travelling.

Any passengers without face masks will not be allowed to travel via public transport.

Additionally facilities have been installed for commuters to wash their hands at bus stops and train stations.

Strict measures have been taken in order to adhere to health services guideline on preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Meanwhile the Ministry of Transport stated that although 5,300 Sri Lanka Transport Board Buses and around 23,000 private buses will be in operation, the numbers are still insufficient for effective passenger transport services.

Accordingly steps have been taken to register school, tourist and other buses for passenger transport as a temporary measure.

Therefore all relevant buses are being temporally registered with the SLTB and the National Transport Commission at present.

However Minister of Passenger Transport Management Mahinda Amaraweera said all buses which are temporarily registered in this regard for passenger transport, will only be utilised if the need arises.

Although public transport services will resume on Monday, the Transport Ministry has urged the general public to refrain from using public transport for non-essential travel.

Security forces are to continue to assist in ensuring public transport services function smoothly.