The new rules and regulations introduced on April 1 by the Western Province Road Passenger Transport Authority (WPRTA) makes it compulsory for all private buses in the Western Province to be in blue instead of the garish colours some of the buses are painted in.   

Private bus owners have been given a grace period of two months from April 1 not only to have the buses re-painted in blue but also to remove additional items such as stickers, paintings, sound systems, TV screens and extra-loud horns. The transport authority has also directed the owners to re-arrange the seats with proper leg space between the seats as they were at the time of importing the bus.   

WPRTA Chairman Thusitha Kularatne’s statement that these regulations were being introduced as it was essential to provide a conducive environment for passengers to travel brings to mind the several complaints made by commuters, who have repeatedly complained that the hazards of bus travel are getting worse by the day because of the reckless manner in which buses are being driven with some of the drivers and the conductors being a law unto themselves. Buses stop not only at bus halts but also wherever the driver thinks there are potential commuters while being least bothered about the inconvenience caused to other motorists and road users including pedestrians.   

Will the new rules and regulations help end the sound pollution in buses with several speakers blaring away to the annoyance and infuriation of the passengers, who would love a peaceful ride to work and back home instead of being bruised and battered at the end of the journey? We talk so much about Sri Lanka’s culture and traditions but this is hardly seen or experienced by males, females or the elderly when travelling by bus. The driver and the conductor are only devilishly keen to get ahead of the bus in front or to keep ahead of the bus that’s behind.   

The WPRPTA Chairman says that private buses could be easily identified if they had a distinct colour and that blue was chosen as it was pleasing to the eyes. He said the absence of various distractions by way of messages, posters and advertisements would reduce road accidents to a large extent.   

Speaking about distractions the WPRPTA would do well to remove all electronic billboards on the wayside especially at junctions. These billboards not only consume a huge amount of electricity right throughout the day which we can ill-afford at a time we are going through a severe power crisis and are a main distraction to motorists inducing and impelling them to lose concentration.   

“Multi-coloured private buses with colourful stickers have resulted in several accidents, as the bus drivers in other buses are often distracted by these extraneous items,” Mr. Kularatne said adding that buses should not contain anything else other than those approved by the Department of Motor Traffic.   

He said legal action would be taken at the end of the grace period and those found guilty of violating the new rules and regulations would face the risk of having their route permits suspended or cancelled.   

The WPRPTA should also make it a point to take action against bus conductors who do not issue tickets or handover the balance, which happens often with the commuters hesitating to ask for a ticket or the balance out of fear of being publically badmouthed or insulted.   

Those who have had the opportunity of going abroad would have seen how courteous, patient and well-mannered the bus crews in those countries are about whose culture some of us are in the habit of disparaging.   

Meanwhile, on Monday, the Transport Ministry issued a gazette notice to increase the minimum fine for seven traffic offences to Rs.25,000. The ministry said it was another move to reduce road accidents by motorists who violate traffic rules. The ministry has categorised the traffic offences such as driving without a valid driving licence, reckless driving, for employing a driver without a valid driving license, driving under the influence of liquor or drugs or carelessly driving across a railway crossing, speeding and overtaking on the left are some of the offences.   

It is a difficult call but nevertheless we hope the transport authorities would not limit themselves to mere words but ensure that these regulations are complied with so that their timely efforts would bear good fruit in making road travel, whether in buses, other vehicles or motorcycles, safer and comfortable than what it is today.