A proposal has been made to introduce a new scheme to charge a fare for non-seated passengers travelling in buses.
State Minister of Bus Transport Services Dilum Amunugama said that the new scheme will most likely be implemented this week.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, he said it has been noted that several buses were violating the restriction imposed on operating according to the seating capacity which was introduced due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Stating that he had informed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) in writing last week with regard to the violations, State Minister Amunugama said steps had been taken to arrest bus operators violating the restriction.
He said even though arrests were made, the violation continues to take place in rural areas.
The State Minister warned that if this does not stop then the authorities will be forced to implement a bus fare for non-seated passengers this week.
Amunugama pointed out that they had fulfilled bus operators’ requests to hike bus fares due to the pandemic and it was only fair for them to adhere to the restrictions imposed by the Government.
He further said that if the restrictions are continued to be violated then the authorities will introduce a separate bus fare for non-seated passengers similar to that of seated passengers.
State Minister Amunugama added that this new scheme will be introduced most likely by this week after assessing the current situation. (NewsWire)