Two English speaking youth (in their early twenties) made a journey to Malabe in the same Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) maintained bus that this writer was travelling in the other day. Their pronunciation of words in the Queen’s language suggested that they belonged to the high-class society. 

They were easily noticed for their flair for the use of the English language, but they seemed quite at home in a mixed crowd where the majority looked like being members of the lower or middle income earning class. They were the only ones in the bus speaking in English. From their conversation it was evident that the duo had plans of remaining in Sri Lanka; at least for a while till they completed their higher studies. A remark from one of them came in the form of a question: “Does Sri Lanka need more personal business oriented ideas or public business oriented ideas”. And the individual who posed the question underscored the fact “Don’t confuse the two now”. 

This is the second time during the year when people need that extra or enhanced bus service to get to their villages just before Christmas or New Year. This is also the season when tourists from cold countries find Sri Lanka as the ideal getaway destination.  Most foreign and local tourists use the SLTB buses to commute because it’s cheap and also because the Sri Lankan travel map is dotted with a bus route that’ll get you to most places in the island. These buses are also a safe mode of transport even in the night. The big question asked then is why the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) doesn’t do enough to maintain the fleet of state run buses? 

This writer’s mind goes back to a point made during the conversation between the two English speaking bus commuters who had so much to say about a private idea and a public idea. Countries like USA, UK and Germany believe in private companies for business and neglect public sector planning. Countries like France, Belgium and Norway are hell-bent on promoting public enterprises. Countries like Sweden and the Netherlands have a mixture of both. In most countries planning has been plagued because they have not found the right balance between the two types of businesses. In the period since World War 2 these have been the two unrelated type of developments in Western economies with regard to the ‘refinement and proliferation of planning’. 

The passenger bus service in Sri Lanka boasts of a history dating back to 1907 thanks to the operating of private buses. State run buses arrived on the road and dominated the industry; thanks to the passing of the Transport Board Ordinance No 48 of 1957. In 1978 the Ceylon Transport Board was decentralised into the Central Transport Board and nine regional transport boards and with it the private sector was allowed to cater to passenger transport again. Since then the growth in the transport sector has been assured; thanks to private sector enterprise. When the private ventures operating bus services have expanded into services like private and semi-luxury services we still see the rickety old SLTB buses rumbling along the roads. We still have a few SLTB buses which are operating well passed their shelf life; which in a way is a feat in itself because foreign mechanics would vouch that when a machine is battered and overrun it must go into a yard or museum. Old battered SLTB buses being forced to run on roads share similarities with most of the aged old lawmakers who are seen staggering along to attend parliamentary sessions. What we don’t see here, as most would wish, is a parliamentarian using public transport to get to office like in other developed nations. 

Our two English speaking youth commuting by bus by now were close to their destination. One said to the other, “I’m trying to go home now”, but there was a miscommunication and the youth heard it as ‘abroad’. The first speaker then affirmed ‘I said home, not abroad’. And it all sounded he’ll continue to be a loyal traveller who uses public transport.