Nine of the 35 buses imported for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) years ago have been refurbished and reintroduced to service at the Katubedda depot. The refurbishment work cost Rs. 37.5 million.
Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Prasanna Gunasena said that refurbishment of the remaining buses is underway, with spare parts already purchased. He expressed confidence that the rest will be back in service within the next three months.
“These buses, originally brought for the CHOGM summit, were taken out of service. Today, nine have been restored and returned to operation. There is strong demand for long-distance travel to destinations such as Galle, Matara, and Kandy. Initially, these buses will be used for short-distance services of 5,000 kilometers, before being deployed on long-distance routes,” the Deputy Minister said.
He added that all remaining CHOGM buses will be restored as soon as possible to strengthen the reliability of the public transport service.
In line with the President’s vision, the Deputy Minister also announced plans to expand rural transport, with government support for deploying buses on non-revenue-generating rural routes to improve connectivity.
