The much boasted private bus strike through which the Chairman of the Private Bus Owners' Association Gemunu Wijeratne threatened to paralyze transport services in the country for several days ended in two hours yesterday and it was an utter failure.

The Chairman of the Private Bus Owners’ Association Gemunu Wijeratne addressing a media conference on Wednesday boasted that his association has 15,000 buses and they will continue this strike for three or four days. According to Transport sector sources only about 2000 buses out of 15,000 joined the strike and all of them abandoned the strike in about two hours due to its utter failure.

Meanwhile, Police said that at several places the bus drivers had been threatened by goons and some of them had been taken into custody.  They said that in Panadura a group of goons came in a Jeep and threatened the drivers of buses and three of them were taken into custody and produced before the Panadura magistrate and have been kept under remand custody.

Addressing a special press briefing held at the Private Transport Services Ministry, yesterday the Minister  C.B.Ratnayake said that Gemunu Wijeratne’s PBOA had tried to launch a massive bus strike island wide since Tuesday midnight. The ministry had also taken measures to face the strike while making several arrangements to ensure a smooth public transport service.  He said that however, there was no need to use those alternative transport systems due to the failed PBOA strike. The Minister said the government has a responsibility to protect both the bus owners and passengers. He said that the bus owners should know that passengers are their customers, and trying to make profits while inconveniencing the passengers is not fair.

Explaining further the Minister said that according to the National Transport Policy the government increases bus fares annually. The government did it on  July 1st  for the last 12 years, but the bus owners at a meeting held with President Mahinda Rajapaksa recently asked for several relief measures from the government and government agreed to grant them without increasing the bus fares. But several bus owners are asking both a fare hike and other relief. The Minister said that it cannot be done, because it is incompatible with the National Transport Policy.(niz)

Source:www.news.lk