All-island private buses to go on strike from tonight

4 August 2022 06:50 pm Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 15 Bookmark

CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA Follow

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Inter-Provincial Private Bus Association (IPPBA) has decided to stay away from services from tonight.

Addressing the media, IPPBA President Sarath Vijitha Kumara said that it was due to the decision to limit issuing only 40 litres of diesel for buses under QR code system.

He said pumping only 40 litres to a bus is totally insufficient. Most of the buses are long-distance bound.

For those buses, 40 liters of diesel will be of no use. Dispensing facilities arranged at the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) depots is not practical, as they would give priority to dispense fuel for their fleet and then only pump diesel for private buses.

Most of the depots demand bribe to dispense fuel. Hence, we have requested the National Transport Commission (NTC) to provide us with full tank diesel from filling stations.

We can wait in queues to get fuel, if we are supplied a tank full, Kumara said. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)

Comments - 15

nuwan Thursday, 04 August 2022 07:10 PM

Good go on strike and stay on strike for the rest of the year Your fuel can be reallocated to the SLTB fleet

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Traveler Thursday, 04 August 2022 11:19 PM

You hit the nail in head. Teach these buggers an unforgettable lesson

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Fernando Thursday, 04 August 2022 07:13 PM

If you guys could be given more than 40 litres, which means there's no fuel crisis in this country. First try to understand the current situation and learn to cope up with the it.

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Nationalise The Busses Thursday, 04 August 2022 07:17 PM

These private buses are blackmailing us. It was the uncle of Ranil who allowed a well run national bus service to be privatised and the “gangsterism of the private buses Union that followed”.

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Curious Thursday, 04 August 2022 11:19 PM

Ridiculous to see some people calling for nationalisation of buses. We are in this mess because of poorly run non profitable government services and institutions like SLTB / CTB. Privatise and create healthy competition. Secondly, 40L is indeed not enough for long distance buses like Colombo to Jaffna or Colombo to Anuradhapura. Some Colombo folks or folks who never travelled by bus would not understand that without these long distance services life for many outstation commuters who return home for the weekend will be in disarray tomorrow.

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Bus traveller Thursday, 04 August 2022 11:22 PM

I have seen myself a private bus siphoning Diesel waiting in the queue ( before QR code) so that siphoned diesel could be sold in black market. You bus owners and drivers , do the right thing and don’t take passengers as hostages

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Trevor Perera Friday, 05 August 2022 04:18 AM

This is a ploy by the Government to prevent masses from coming to Colombo to stage protests on 6th and 9th of August. It has nothing to do with the shortage of fuel in the country.

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Nm Friday, 05 August 2022 05:23 AM

Stop supply of electricity, water to the houses of such union leaders who resort to such tactics. They will get their medicine in a different way. Only then they will come back to earth.

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Ruwan Yahasith Fernando Friday, 05 August 2022 08:07 AM

This strike action though very inconvenient, makes total sense. We should be encouraging bus travel not making it difficult for buses to be put on to the road as they provide a service to the public and reduce traffic. Maybe busses could be allocated 100 litres per week but in 2 instalments of 50 litres each to enable fair distribution to everyone. That should be a software change to the QR code system and not require a lot of time to deploy.

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Tissa Fernando Friday, 05 August 2022 08:56 AM

I think it is high time that we think about mass transport systems like Metro or Sunway trains like in other countries to connect within and between the cities. These private bus operators are taking every one for a ride. Cancel their permits one by one. Do not let allocate any more dollars to import any bus for them.

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sunil Friday, 05 August 2022 09:44 AM

Good go on strike, that will free up more fuel for public

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suresh Friday, 05 August 2022 09:45 AM

If any of these fellows go on strike, there next week quota should be reduced, otherwise they will be selling the fuel in the black market

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Anne Karunaratne Friday, 05 August 2022 10:17 AM

Stay on strike FOREVER! No loss for anyone anymore cos people are sick to the bone of the private bus operation. Add all those buses to the CTB fleet! We will certainly have a much better service.

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Gamaya Friday, 05 August 2022 11:57 AM

What you need to look at is the fact that a bus running a certain route will need more than 40l of fuel per day. What they ask is for more to run for the week not a day. I changed to a staff service with all the fuel issues and the guy says he cant run a week on his quota. What do people do? How can you be a productive nation if you cant supply the transport sector what they need.

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Karalasingam Sivalingam Friday, 05 August 2022 11:59 AM

Don't take government and people for ransom? Live and let live.

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