Private bus owners in Talawakele stage protest

Private bus owners operating between Talawakele and Nuwara Eliya staged a protest today (10) by halting buses along the Nanu Oya–Radella route, protesting against the Central Provincial Road Passenger Transport Authority.

The protesters claimed that 14 buses operate daily on the route and alleged that the luxury buses running on the same route have caused serious unfairness to buses operating between Talawakele and Kirimetiya.

They stated that the situation has made it difficult to sustain their bus operations and alleged that despite requesting solutions from officials of the Central Provincial Road Passenger Transport Authority, no proper response has been received so far.

However, the protest was reportedly triggered by objections to the suspension of passenger transport permits for buses that had not installed GPS technology.

Meanwhile, bus drivers and conductors involved in the protest claimed that the transport authority had pressured them to pay Rs. 11,000 to install GPS systems in luxury buses operating on the Hatton–Nuwara Eliya Radella shortcut route, while buses operating through the Talawakele–Kirimetiya circular route were required to pay Rs. 17,500 for the same technology.

The protesting private bus owners further stated that operating their services is no longer financially viable when buses cover only around 48 kilometres per trip each day. However, they added that installing GPS technology would not be an issue if authorities provided solutions to the concerns they had raised.