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| Monday, 21 July 2003 |
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by Rajmi Manatunga The Western Province Transport Authority (WPTA) has decided to crack the whip on unroadworthy buses in the Province in the wake of public complaints of the difficulties and inconvenience they are forced to endure travelling in such vehicles. According to latest statistics, nearly 60 per cent of short distance private buses within the province are unfit for passenger transport. The WPTA said that former mechanical engineers of the CTB will be deployed to examine the buses in all depots within the province. The crackdown commenced last week and already 25 buses - belonging to the Angulana Depot - had been deemed unfit for road use with the owners issued deadlines to get their vehicles into acceptable condition or have their route permits cancelled. According to a WPTA official, their initiative was in response to public complaints about frequent delays in reaching destinations, the lack of basic facilities and the "belching problems" of derelict private buses not to mention the danger posed to passengers and road users alike by the plying of derelict vehicles on the highways. The decision was also fuelled by the recent spate of road accidents mostly involving ramshackle vehicles. A spokesman for the WP Transport Ministry told the Daily News that the Authority has decided to suspend the route permits issued to bus owners if the latter do not take steps to keep their vehicles in good condition. "There is a large number of buses on the road today which are not even up to the minimum standards of passenger transport. Most of these buses used to ply the roads as inter-provincial air conditioned buses or luxury coaches for a long period and their condition have deteriorated," he said. WP Transport Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanne last week visited the Angulana depot from where the programme to detect unroadworthy buses was launched. |
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