Private bus owners claim that despite having made many requests to the authorities, they are yet to receive any relief with regard to the damages caused to the buses during the ‘aragalaya’ (a public movement seeking the resignation of the then Government led by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa) protests in 2022.

“We have not received any form of compensation to fix the damages,” Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) Chairperson Gemunu Wijeratne said, adding that this is despite requests made to various parties including the President and the Finance Ministry. He told The Daily Morning that even though some bus owners received insurance money to repair the buses, others did not receive such, and that as a result, they had to spend their own money. Many more buses have been left unrepaired due to financial issues, according to him.

During the 2022 ‘aragalaya’ protests at the Galle Face, a number of private buses were damaged by anti-Government protestors. These attacks were carried out as those buses had been used to transport pro-Government groups that assaulted anti-Government protestors. He had earlier explained that it was unfair to target buses in a context where the buses are rented out to anyone, and hence demanded investigations into the incident and also compensation. Around 40 buses were said to have been damaged due to the attacks.