The Western Province Bus Sector Modernisation Task Force has reviewed and endorsed the roadmap for reform, aligning with the government’s priorities and the proposed World Bank-supported Bus Sector Modernisation Programme.
Per the decision taken during the Task Force’s inaugural meeting, the Western Province will serve as a model for national rollout, with pilot initiatives to test and scale new operating structures, technologies, and infrastructure improvements.
Among the key outcomes of the meeting are:
1. Unanimous agreement on the need to modernise the bus sector through public-private collaboration, digital integration, and institutional reform.
2. Formal establishment of two subcommittees to lead action in critical reform areas:
- A Working Group on Cashless Payments and Digitalisation, tasked with coordinating fare system reform and digital ticketing, and engagement with technology providers.
- A Cluster Bus Company Working Group, mandated to oversee the rollout of a new cluster company model that brings together SLTB and private operators under professionally-managed regional operating entities.
3. Consensus to accelerate infrastructure planning, regulatory alignment through coordination with various Government agencies and stakeholders.
It has also been decided that the Western Province Governor’s Office will serve as the Secretariat for the Task Force, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Transport.
The first meeting of the Western Province Bus Sector Modernisation Task Force was held last week under the joint chairmanship of the Governor of the Western Province, Hanif Yusoof, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Sr. Professor Kapila Perera.
The Task Force, which includes key stakeholders from the national and provincial transport authorities, the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), private bus operators and trade unions, and the World Bank Group, was convened to provide strategic leadership and coordination for the transformation of the Western Province’s bus transport sector.
Speaking at the meeting, Governor Yusoof reaffirmed his commitment to building a safer, cleaner, and more reliable public transport system in the Western Province. “Our goal is to create a transport system that respects the dignity of commuters, reduces congestion and emissions, and enables economic growth. Today’s meeting was an important step towards achieving that,” he said.
“This is not just a transport reform. It’s a quality-of-life reform. We are committed to delivering a bus system that is safe, modern, and works for everyone—from daily wage earners to students, from the elderly to working families,” the Governor further said.
The WP Governor and Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Sr. Professor Kapila Perera, thanked all Task Force members for their active participation and emphasised that this transformation effort must be people-centred and inclusive. (Newswire)