The Metro bus service is expected to expand in Colombo with all 121 buses currently available to be deployed under a year-long project from the end of September, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake said.
Rathnayake said the initial service, which involved 10 Metro buses, had already made a significant impact on the public, although it could not yet be considered a pilot project.
He said the government also plans to introduce Metro bus services in Galle, Kandy and Jaffna next year, with Cabinet approval already granted for the expansion.
The minister said the wider objective of the Metro bus project was to encourage people who currently use private vehicles to shift to public transport, rather than simply attracting existing bus passengers.
Around 240 bus stops have been identified for the Colombo Metro bus project, and each location is expected to facilitate a “park-and-ride” system where passengers can leave their cars or motorcycles and continue their journey by Metro bus.
Rathnayake urged local authorities, businesses and landowners near the identified bus stops to establish parking facilities that could accommodate vehicles of Metro bus users.
He said the Metro institution would provide basic guidelines on how such parking facilities should be arranged, while registration and regulation of the facilities would remain the responsibility of the relevant local authorities.
According to the minister, the Urban Development Authority is also expected to introduce an application within the next few months showing registered parking facilities near Metro bus stops and their available spaces in real time.
This would allow passengers to check parking availability before leaving home and identify alternative parking locations if a particular facility is full.
Rathnayake said parking charges would be determined by the relevant local authorities, while efforts would be made to facilitate online payments.
He stressed that the success of the Metro bus project would depend on sufficient parking facilities being established around the identified stops to encourage private vehicle users to shift to public transport. (Newswire)