Public Transport Vehicles Non-Compliant with Regulations

COLOMBO (News 1st); The National Transport Commission states that the majority of public passenger transport vehicles in the country are not compliant with regulations.

The Commission highlights that, according to the Motor Transport Act, it is not permissible to modify lorry chassis into buses for operation.

By 2022, the total number of buses in the country was 113,268.

Of these, 19,862 buses were used for public passenger transport by the private sector, with 3,129 of them allocated for inter-provincial services.

Annually, between 2,500 and 3,000 people die in road accidents, with 1,691 accidents involving buses occurring in 2022 alone.

A significant number of buses in the country are modified from lorry chassis, which raises concerns about their safety in accidents. It is questionable whether thorough investigations are conducted regarding the potential harm these buses could cause in accidents.

However, such buses cannot be legally used for passenger transport in Sri Lanka.

The National Transport Commission has stated that it is not feasible to remove all lorry chassis buses at once due to their long-standing use. Consequently, new specifications have been issued, mandating bus chassis for new buses.

One of the most tragic bus accidents in recent history occurred 20 years ago at the Yangalmodara railway crossing, claiming 40 lives. 

As the 20th anniversary of that accident approached, another severe bus accident occurred on the 11th of this month.

On the Gampola main road, in the Kotmale Garadiella area, a bus overturned into a precipice, resulting in 23 fatalities.

Even within this year, numerous lives have been lost due to bus accidents.

Here are a few examples:

On January 11th, a bus accident in the Passara 10th Mile Post area injured four people, with the bus being driven by the conductor.

On January 19th, a collision between two buses in Thalalla, Gandara injured 61 people.

On January 26th, a collision involving three buses at the Agulugaha junction on the Galle-Akurassa road injured 29 people.

On February 1st, a bus collided with a van, resulting in two deaths and 35 injuries.

On February 10th, a bus accident in Thorayaya, Kurunegala, resulted in four deaths and 27 injuries.

On April 29th, a collision between two buses in Beliatta injured three people.

On May 1st, a collision between two buses in Minneriya Minhirigama resulted in two deaths and 18 injuries.

On May 13th, a bus accident in Aladeniya, Kandy, injured 37 people.