Mandatory 5,000 km safety checks introduced for passenger buses

The National Council for Road Safety announced that all passenger transport buses will be required to undergo a mandatory roadworthiness inspection after every 5,000 kilometres of operation.

The National Council's Chairman Manjula Kularatne said the measure was introduced as part of efforts to reduce road crashes.

He stated that the relevant gazette notification was issued and that recruitment of qualified inspection officers will begin soon to carry out the vehicle inspections.

He added that driver negligence and vehicle defects were identified as the leading causes of road crashes in Sri Lanka in recent years.

According to Kularatne, the regulation will initially be implemented for buses for three months following the appointment of inspection officers.

Later the operation will expand to cover all vehicles.