All Ceylon Private Bus Owners’ Association has warned that bus services would be disrupted from next Monday (March 14) if a diesel subsidy is not given or bus fares are increased.
Both Lanka IOC and Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) announced fuel record price hikes this week, citing the significant depreciation of the Sri Lankan rupee against the US dollar.
The secretary-general of the association, Anjana Priyanjith said the owners of short-distance buses incur a loss of Rs. 5,500 daily. According to him, nearly 80 per cent of the buses have halted operations due to the dire situation.
Priyanjith noted that they would be compelled to resort to a hefty price increase if they are not given relief.
Meanwhile, the chairman of Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) Gemunu Wijeratne said they do not need to revise the prices if the fuel is sold at previous rates despite the price hikes in other commodities. “If a subsidy is not given, we will resort to a 15 per cent bus fare revision.”
