Sri Lanka has around 15,000 private buses, most of which are a law unto themselves on the road. They violate road rules with apparent impunity and along with three wheelers, are responsible for the majority of traffic accidents.
Their crews are known for being rude to passengers, who are treated like cattle. There is some kindness when the passengers embark, but once they get in, it is hell on Earth as they are shooed away to the front of the bus packed to the rafters. And passengers who get late to disembark get an earful from the conductor and the driver. Tickets are almost never issued, despite a law making tickets mandatory at all times. We know that in comparison, tickets are always issued in SLTB buses – even if the mother or father of the conductor gets on board.
Worse, most private buses running in Sri Lanka are not buses at all. They are basically lorries, with an attached passenger compartment. Hence the discomfort to passengers, especially, on long journeys as the suspension is designed to handle freight and not living, breathing passengers. The previous Transport Minister wanted to make the import and assembly of ‘real’ buses mandatory, but we do not know whether this decision was ever implemented.
The new Minister Mahinda Amaraweera must take this issue up and implement this decision without delay. I recently rode in one of these ‘real’ buses with the suspension tuned for passenger use and was amazed by the difference. This will be even more apparent on hilly and pot-hole filled roads.
We penned these words as a preamble before praising Minister Amaraweera on his bold decision to ban the so-called semi-luxury buses from plying during daytime. As our sister newspaper the Daily News noted in a recent editorial, these are little more than normal buses with thick curtains that shield passengers from the harsh sun. Other than that, they offer no amenities or facilities that set them apart from the normal buses. The step-up luxury and super-luxury buses, on the other hand, offer a range of facilities from air-conditioning to reclining seats. They can thus command a premium, but not the semi-luxury buses, which have no such gizmos. In fact, the Minister should scrap the semi-luxury category altogether.
He has also turned his attention to the exceedingly loud music played in private buses (a few Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) buses are also guilty of this practice). In addition to their music compilations on CD or USB, they prefer a couple of Sinhala (and Tamil in the North-East areas) radio channels which play their kind of music – loud, annoying and meaningless. Even the DJs of these radio stations talk meaningless drivel that does not in any way enrich our auditory experience. Some buses even have a TV set which generally plays a musical show with these same attributes. Either way, the passengers are in for a hard time.
While there is a suggestion to recommend suitable songs that can be played in buses, this will be impractical in reality. However, passengers should be given a separate hotline (in addition to the National Transport Commission’s regular hotline) to complain if the music played is obnoxious. Action can then be taken against the relevant bus(es) if the complaint is found to be true. There should be a provision to strip off the in-bus hi-fi set ups too if there are repeat complaints.
Police must also implement a program to rein in errant bus drivers, perhaps with a view to retraining them in safe driving techniques. There is a school of thought that the fines applicable to motoring offences should be increased further for private bus crews and we tend to agree with it. They should also go to some sort of ‘obedience school’ to learn to talk to passengers in a courteous manner, which is another factor that separates the SLTB from the private buses.
Talking of the SLTB, it is vital to strengthen the State-owned bus fleet, though the SLTB itself suffers from overstaffing and chronic mismanagement. If these traits can be corrected, the SLTB will be a real goldmine. Its super luxury services on the expressways are hugely popular and more buses should be imported for these and inter-provincial services.
The SLTB as well as the private bus services have neglected and abandoned many bus services/routes in the Western Province alone – among them Mount Lavinia-Rajagiriya (198), Nawala-Fort via Vauxhall Street (169), Thalawathugoda-Fort (174), Maharagama-Wellampitiya (131), Pitakotte-Thotalanga (173), Fort-Pitakotte (115) and Nawala-Fort via Rajagiriya (144). A feasibility study should be conducted on recommencing these services and where there seems to be a sufficient demand, the SLTB must deploy new buses on such routes. If the routes become successful, private buses will surely follow suit. There is every chance that they could become money spinners, as people living along these routes sometimes have no alternative mode of travel or bus/rail route.
It is time for the authorities to seriously consider bringing down electric buses for the SLTB, with 50 to 100 units being a good starting point. These should essentially be for city and suburb runs, as battery and range problems may deter long distance services just yet. Worldwide, many cities are rapidly electrifying their bus fleets, with some cities having achieved 100 percent fleet electrification.
There are many advantages of bus electrification – zero emissions, a very quiet and comfortable ride and easy maintenance. As per one manufacturer, a typical electric bus is equipped with 35 seats and with standing room the bus has a capacity of 88 passengers. The range is estimated at 200 to 270 kilometres – the first value is ‘reliably’ achievable, the second ‘under favourable conditions.’
One does not even need mains power for recharging the bus batteries – Adelaide, Australia is a good example for a city which has a solar plant just for recharging the city buses. Many other cities worldwide have since adapted this model which is totally environmentally sustainable with no emissions at any point.
These must essentially be low-floor buses with a ramp that can be lowered for access by the disabled and the infirm. The Government must also consider granting concessions and incentives to private bus owners who may wish to go electric – the applicants must however be carefully screened for any previous accidents and offences.
The future of public transport – road and rail – is electric and we must lay the groundwork now. The Government already has a cut-off date for fossil fuel vehicles – 2040. By then, most of the bus fleet should have already converted to electric and even autonomous in some instances. We must be ready for that future from now.