March 23, Colombo (LNW): Private bus operators have rejected claims that today’s widespread service disruption amounts to a strike, insisting instead that it is a forced response to unsustainable operating conditions.
Speaking on behalf of the Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association, its president Gemunu Wijeratne stated that the sharp rise in fuel prices has made it financially unviable for operators to continue running buses under the current fare structure. He stressed that the decision to suspend services was not organised as industrial action, but rather a consequence of mounting losses.
According to Wijeratne, a significant majority of privately operated buses remained off the roads today, with only a small fraction continuing limited operations. He maintained that this outcome was not the result of coercion or collective pressure, but individual operators choosing not to run at a loss.
He also pointed out that authorities had an opportunity to introduce revised fares a day earlier, and suggested that the delay had worsened the situation. In contrast, he noted that school transport services, including “Sisu Sariya” buses, have continued to function normally in order to avoid disrupting students’ travel.
Highlighting the financial strain, Wijeratne explained that short-distance routes are now running at daily losses of several thousand rupees, while long-distance services face even steeper deficits. “This is a commercial operation. Without viable returns, it simply cannot continue,” he remarked, underlining the challenges faced by bus owners.
He further criticised what he described as a lack of meaningful engagement between operators and authorities in recent times, noting that previous administrations had typically consulted stakeholders before implementing fare revisions. The absence of dialogue, he suggested, has contributed to the current impasse.
Despite the disruption, Wijeratne expressed hope that a revised fare structure would be approved soon, adding that constructive discussions with regulators would be essential to restoring normal services.