‘CTB can provide efficient service’

Over 85 percent of public use bus transport:

K A E Britto, Gen Secretary CTB Employees Union and Trade Union Alliance for the protection of the CTB states:

“The Transport Minister has entrusted Depot Superintendents with the responsibility of maintaining the SLTB public transport services in future following the Treasury decision to Suspend Government funds given to the SLTB by the end of this year.

This has created suspicion and fear among SLTB employees as to whether this decision would sound the death knell of the SLTB similar to the fate that befell the Werahera Depot which was once the best bus workshop in the whole of Asia.

State funds were granted to the SLTB from its inception by late Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike who felt the need to maintain the public transport service in an efficient manner. Moreover State funds were needed to reform and resuscitate a majority of buses which had been damaged by Bus Mudalalis to avenge the nationalisation of the bus services.

This enabled the SLTB to maintain a salutary public transport service from 1958 to 1978 amidst difficulties and even earn international plaudits. Reports said the SLTB had even rewarded profits in 1962, 1967 and 1975.

The destruction of the SLTB started with the 1977 UNP regime which decentralised the SLTB into nine regional concerns allowing private omnibus owners to compete with it in the various routes.

Close on its heels the SLTB was divided into 93 depots under the privatisation bill no 23 of 1977 and millions worth SLTB property including buses sold to UNP stooges for a song allowing them run paralled services along SLTB routes.

The United Front Government of 1994 acting on the recommendations of the Tillakaratne Commission created brought in the cluster bus companies without consulting the Trade Unions making them a Kingdom of corrupt individuals.

In 2002 the Public Enterprises Reform Commission proposed the setting up of a joint transport company by sacrificing the assets of the SLTB cluster bus companies the administration of which was to be handed over to a private company.

This enabled reactionary officials and certain politicians to destroy the public transport service and run their own buses. It is no secret that even today certain influential persons are running their buses on certain routes without permits.

This unfortunate situation led certain active Trade unions to set up an organisation for the protection of the SLTB at the beginning of 2004 to discuss measures to revive the SLTB.

Following its recommendations the SLTB was re-established by the then Transport Minister Felix Perera with the help of his Cabinet colleagues by an Act of Parliament dated August 7, 2005 followed by an attendant gazette notification no 1415/15 dated October 19, 2005.

Although the SLTB was re-established in the latter part of 2005 it has still not been directed towards a proper development path. Although a small fleet of new buses have been introduced to the existing fleet they seem insufficient to cater to commuter demand as several old buses have to be phased out against each new bus added.

Almost 90 percent of the travelling public use public transport and 85 percent of them use bus transport against the five percent travelling by train.

On certain routes there is only one or two CTB buses against 10-12 private buses. The argument that conductor frauds and non issue of tickets caused the CTB’s financial failure does not hold water.

It is the duty of the Government to provide basic facilities like transport to people. Profit motive should not be the criterion for investing funds in public transport because it is a social service towards the labour force assisting the development effort.

Even communication specialist John Diandas who conducted a survey on public transport in 1983 had reported that public funds given to the SLTB should not be considered as a loss as it is the price of providing a common public service.

We appreciate and value the efforts taken by the Government to provide an efficient road network and a transport service under the Mahinda Chintana.

It is the Government’s duty to revive the CTB to its 1958-1977 position of glory. Incumbent Transport Minister Kumara Welgama who has experience in the transport sector is taking an earnest effort to rescue the SLTB from its present plight.

We on our part submitted a set of proposals for the revival of the SLTB at a discussion held recently and proposed a meeting with the President to discuss its implementation.”