Bus operations down to 40 percent due to continuing fuel scarcity

By Pradeep Prasanna Samarakoon

Only around 40% of private buses operated yesterday due to fuel shortages, head of the Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (LPBOA) Gemunu Wijeratne told the media.

Wijeratne said that around 50% of the private buses had operated on Thursday.

“Diesel shortage has become a serious problem. Most of our employees are at gas stations, in long queues. Some have to spend the entire night in queues. They are sleep deprived. This can lead to accidents. Who will take responsibility for this mess?” he asked.

Wijeratne said that most filling stations had run out of fuel by Thursday and despite assurances by the government, there were long queues at gas stations on Friday as well. “If this continues, there might not be buses on the road on Monday,” he said.

There are about 11,000 private buses operating in Sri Lank, according to the Ministry of Transport. These buses need around 531,000 litres of diesel a day.