Sri Lanka to buy electric buses for BRT system

ECONOMYNEXT –  Sri Lanka’s government bus service is to buy 50 electric buses for a planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system aimed at improving the urban public transport service.

The Cabinet of Ministers this week approved a proposal by Transport & Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva for the purchase by the Sri Lanka Transport Board, the state information office said.

It said the SLTB has 6,300 buses in running condition with 2,467 buses being older than 10 years and subject to breakdowns which disrupt regular bus services.

SLTB needs 7,257 total buses to be deployed according to time tables and all run on diesel, contributing to air pollution.

A statement said traffic congestion has worsened because of the shift to private transport by commuters because of the lack of a comfortable, reliable and efficient public transport service.