Sri Lanka Eyes 172-Bus Metro Fleet
Sri Lanka's second Metro Bus Depot officially commenced operations in Kadawatha today (7). The depot was declared open by Minister of Transport, Bimal Rathnayake and handed over for public use. The Kadawatha facility is the second depot to be established under the first phase of the Metro Bus Project, which includes plans to construct four new depots centered around Talangama, Kadawatha, Ekala and Ratmalana. The first Metro Bus Depot under the project was opened recently in Talangama, Battaramulla. Speaking at the event, Minister Rathnayake announced that a Cabinet paper has already been submitted to procure an additional 50 Metro Buses on the instructions of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. According to the Minister, the Government expects the new buses to arrive in Sri Lanka by the end of this year or early next year. Once delivered, the Metro Bus service will expand to a fleet of 172 buses. The Minister emphasized that while the Metro Bus initiative is designed to improve urban transportation, the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) will continue to play the central role in providing transport services across the country. "We are also strengthening the SLTB further. The SLTB remains the backbone of public transport in Sri Lanka because the services it provides cannot be replicated by anyone else. Metro Buses cannot operate in mountainous regions such as Deraniyagala, nor can they serve remote areas like Bibile and Monaragala. Metro Buses are designed specifically for urban transportation," he said. The minister added that the President has approved the procurement of 600 air-conditioned buses for the SLTB. In addition, the SLTB plans to purchase another 200 buses using its own funds. Provision has also been made in the Budget to procure 50 smaller buses.
