Private bus owners claimed that allowing the importation of vehicles without appropriate limits will result in a severe decline in the number of people using buses for travel purposes. They expressed concerns that this situation could in turn lead to a collapse of the passenger bus transport service.

Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association President Gemunu Wijeratne made these claims while speaking to the media about a study on the importation of vehicles for personal use and the public’s use of buses for transport. According to him, the study has found that around 1,600 people abandon public transport use each day.

“Short-distance trips conducted by private buses will decline by around 50% by May-June of next year (2026). There is a high likelihood of around 3,000 short-distance buses withdrawing from the service,” he claimed, adding that a large number of vehicles have already been imported for personal use and are projected to be imported by the end of this year.

Moreover, he alleged that the importation of vehicles will also result in a severe financial crisis, given that the actual income from vehicle imports does not meet expectations, leaving the Government without any profit. He further explained that generating a tax income through vehicle imports while spending the country’s limited foreign reserves to purchase those vehicles is not real profit. 

He opined that the real income comes through exports, as it adds money to the country’s economy. According to him, by the end of last month (September), vehicles worth $ 918 million had been imported, which he said will likely reach $ 1 billion by the end of this year. Wijeratne noted that while it is a person’s right to own a vehicle, the Government can however discourage personal vehicle ownership, which has not been done so far.

In addition, he raised concerns about increased traffic congestion, higher fuel consumption, and related environmental pollution due to increased vehicles on roads.