New day time bus service from Colombo to Jaffna: Ministry assures

Responding to the complaints made by the passengers that the ColomboJaffna bus service that was currently in operation was far from satisfactory including the absence of a day time service, the Minister of Private Transport Services C. B. Ratnayake yesterday assured that a day time bus service from Colombo to Jaffna would instigated soon.

Minister Ratnayake told Daily Mirror that the ground work was being laid to begin the service. He said time tables for the buses were being set by his ministry.

However he said he is not prepared to dance to the tune of the bus operators. “I am not prepared to work according to the agenda of the bus operators but would only do so according to the government plans,” he said.

Minister made this point in response to an allegation made by the Private Bus Owners Association President Gemunu Wijeratne that the ministry had failed to set time tables for a day time bus service from Colombo to Jaffna and vice versa. Mr. Wijeratne said the operators would be able to start up a day time service as required by the commuters soon if the Ministry expedited the preparation of time tables.

In response to the allegations made by the commuters he said these could be rectified by a day time Jaffna Colombo bus service.

K. Sivaratnam a passenger who had visited Jaffna by bus recently, said the bus service operated only during the night. He said the journey from Colombo towards Jaffna was approximately 11 hours with four stopovers namely in Negombo, Vavuniya, Murugandi and Irrigolawa. He said he found the most unhygienic toilets during his journey. “Some toilets are without water and lights and are unusable,” he said adding that the adour was unbearable. These toilets he said were run by the hotel owners who are patronized by the drivers.

A young Tamil girl who did not wish to be named said they had top pay Rs 10 to use toilets in Murugandi. “I only used these toilets once and that was the first and the last time I am using those,” she said. She said toilets in other areas were a little better.

A bus operator who currently operating a bus service said they had not option but to stop at hotels at night.