The Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (LPBOA) hailed the recent tax increase on vehicle imports by the government and urged the authorities to improve the public transport system in line with modern standards. The president of the association Gemunu Wijeratne said that, last year alone, thousands of motorbikes, trishaws and cars had been imported into the country without restrictions or tax increase.

“In a country like Singapore, a person who wishes to buy a vehicle has to be on a waiting list for years as the volume of traffic on the roads has reach saturation point,” he said.

“In Sri Lanka people needed personal means of transport as the public transport system was inefficient. So to meet their day to day needs they purchase their own vehicles. If the public transport system was satisfactory, thousands of vehicles would not enter the streets every day as they do nowadays,” he said.

He charged that although there were eleven transport ministers (including provincial council ministers) in Sri Lanka they had not taken any steps to improve the public transport system.

He said that one fourth of the income generated in the country was lost due to the present inefficient transport system.

“It is the people who suffer and pay due to the inefficiency of the present government. Therefore the government should act promptly to improve the public transport system although it is quite late,” he said.

Source: Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka