"How the
buses run on the city routes during the peak hours of the day scaring all other
road users to death is ample testimony for the dire need to put an end to the
current primitive system of operating buses. The question is how the proposed system
can be implemented without getting bus operations in each district under the
control of one single authority"
By Gamini Abeywardane
The budget among its many proposals which have received
mixed reactions seems to contain some valuable suggestions targeting the much
needed modernization of the public transport sector. It has clinically looked
at the public transport sector identifying some of the main causes for its
chaotic situation today. The approach has been to look at it from a long term
perspective rather than proposing some quick fixes.
However, going by the history of our budgets and their
implementation most Sri Lankans would be quite skeptical until these proposals
are fully implemented. Overall, the Budget 2019 which is before the Parliament appears
to be one instance where problems of public transport have been looked at
rationally at least.The most significant proposal is the idea of getting the revenue from all buses into a Revenue Support Fund as a transitional arrangement and paying the bus owners on monthly basis for the number of kilometers operated. This could be a solution to the central issue right now which is the unhealthy competition to collect passengers at the expense of the safety and convenience of both commuters and pedestrians on the road.
How the buses run on the city routes during the peak hours
of the day scaring all other road users to death is ample testimony for the
dire need to put an end to the current primitive system of operating buses. The
question is how the proposed system can be implemented without getting bus
operations in each district under the control of one single authority.
The rat race for a bigger daily revenue collection is an
inherent problem in a public transport service operated with individually owned
buses. Most buses are bought with leasing facilities from financial
institutions and as a result bus owners fix a high daily target for the crew.
The wages of the bus crew depend on the volume of the daily collection.
The situation is made worse because there is no practice of
issuing tickets to the passengers which has given the opportunity for the drivers
and conductors to pilfer whatever the collection made over and above the
stipulated daily target. It should also be noted that every attempt by the
authorities to make issue of tickets compulsory in the past has been resisted and
stifled by the bus operators.
At the moment there
is no employment security, proper salary structure or EPF and ETF benefits for
those employed in the private buses making the situation worse. Drivers and
conductors in this sector lack any permanency of employment or social status
quite in contrast to the situation prevailing in countries where there are well
developed transport systems.
Drawing attention to this issue, Finance Minister Mangala
Samaraweera, in his budget speech, said that private sector bus employees will
be given better job security with EPF and ETF benefits and will be eligible to
get loan facilities as an incentive for better service towards passengers. It
is a fine idea, but it is necessary to have some sort of permanent employment
for them before this could be introduced and it is doubtful whether such a
system can be implemented under a regime of individual bus operators.
Poor quality buses
The poor quality of buses in the public transport system at
the moment is another huge issue. It is a known fact that the majority of buses
belonging to both private sector operators and the SLTB are goods transport
vehicles converted into passenger buses and as a result they lack the standard comforts
found in original passenger transport vehicles.
When these buses were introduced to our roads several
decades ago only very a few people owned motor vehicles. The income levels of the people were quite
low and nobody looked for comforts. Today the situation has completely changed
and people look for more and more comforts and that is why there is a major
shift from use of public transport to private motor vehicles.
Finance Minister admitted that fact when he said “Our
transport sector is yet not meeting the needs of a middle-income county.” As a remedy he proposes a Bus Modernization
Program in the next five years to transform bus services across the country. It
is proposed to expand the SLTB’s fleet with addition of 250 buses with safety
and user-friendly standards in the next two years while they will also
introduce buses that are more suited for those with special needs.
A concessionary loan scheme ‘City Ride’, under ‘Enterprise
Sri Lanka’, has been proposed where the Government will bare 75% of the
interest cost for private bus fleet owners to expand their fleets by a total of
1000 luxury buses. The private bus owners who are willing to purchase luxury
buses instead of the existing old buses and the reputed companies who are
willing to provide comfortable transport services for their employees will be
entitled to this loan facility.
Under this scheme the maximum loan amount will be Rs 10
million with an annual effective interest rate of 13.86% while 75% of the
interest will be borne by the government. The repayment period will be five
years including a one year grace period.
There are proposals aimed at upgrading and systematic
phasing out of three wheelers which now have become an integral part of our
transport system. ‘Mini Taxi / Electric Three Wheeler’ scheme under ‘Enterprise
Sri Lanka’ will be introduced to upgrade current three wheelers into electric three
wheelers and small cars that will be more environmentally friendly, safer and
comfortable.
Persons who are 35 years of age or above, who own three-wheelers
currently used for hiring purposes will be eligible for this loan while the
existing three-wheelers should be disposed. The maximum loan amount available
under the scheme will be Rs 2 million with an annual effective interest rate of
13.86% while 75% of the interest will be borne by the government with a
repayment period of five years.
Multimodal transport hubs
There is also a proposal to introduce within the next few
months, starting with the Central and the Western Provinces, pre-paid fare
cards, electronic tracking of buses, using GPS and information on next bus and
bus schedules, delivered to the palm of the passenger through mobile
applications.
Modern multimodal passenger terminals will be introduced
starting from Makumbura and will include Kandy, Kadawatha, Pettah and Moratuwa.
The budget also proposes to establish a Joint Bus Operations Control Centre connected
to live digital data streams throughout the country to make bus transport an
attractive option. The budget proposes to allocate Rs 1300 million to support
these investments.
Recognizing the significant demand for improved railway
services in the country, it has also been proposed to enlist the support of the
private sector. In this regard, the minister proposes to allow the private
sector to lease/rent Sri Lanka Railway’s carriages, and improve their facilities
in the four main lines.
These proposals together seem to have the potential to bring
about some fundamental changes in our public transport system without
resistance from any segments connected to the transport industry both in the
state and private sectors.
Theoretically at least, this seems to be a good beginning
because more effective remedies like getting the private sector capital and
management skills into government owned bus transport services or railway networks
is not possible without facing resistance and much disruption in our country
under the present circumstances.
However, as the saying goes the proof of the pudding is in
the eating and the country has to wait and see how much of these seemingly good
proposals would be effectively implemented during the period covered by the
Budget 2019 that is expected to be passed by the Parliament this week.
(The writer can be
contacted on: gamini4@gmail.com)
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