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Gemunu Wijeratne discusses plight of private bus industry
"There are buses that have not operated since they stopped operating during the first wave of Covid-19. Still, buses have been charged with a fine of Rs. 30,000 for not operating. How can we operate when employees are not reporting to work? Drivers and conductors cannot report to work as their wives and children are worried for them. There is the risk of them being infected" LPBOA President Gemunu Wijeratne[/caption]
You vowed to launch strike action next week if those in the private bus sector are not prioritised in the vaccination drive. Have you received any responses?
We have not received a response for our request for at least 25,000 private bus workers to be vaccinated. We request that, at the very least, the private bus workers that are operating at present receive the jab. I spoke to State Minister for Production, Supply, and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Prof. Channa Jayasumana this morning (11). The State Minister asked me to send him details on how many need to be vaccinated. It has been more than two months since we sent a letter to the Director General of Health Services, Dr. Asela Gunawardena. They have to consider that passengers take buses, and so they (private bus workers) should receive priority; not only us – this priority not been given to Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus workers or the train workers either.
The priority should be properly identified. One of the problems bus owners also have is the fact that we handle cash notes. The drivers and conductors come in contact with many who might potentially have Covid-19. They (passengers) eat from shops by the roadside and don’t wear gloves when working, and then they come into our buses. When they give us money, I always try to at least keep it out or under the sun for a while before I handle it. There are so many factors for us to consider. More than 100 private bus employees have tested positive for Covid-19 so far. There are also many bus owners who have tested positive.
How do you plan to continue passenger transportation amidst this new wave of Covid-19?
We anyway don’t have many commuters taking buses. As the number of Covid-19 cases increases, the number of passengers taking the bus has also reduced drastically. The earlier policy was to admit passengers in line with the number of seats in the bus. But under the present situation and risk, we can’t do that. If people sit by each other, how can they maintain distance? What we suggest is to put one passenger on one seat. To implement this, we request a fuel subsidy. It is time for this to be implemented and it is what the Government should do now.
I made this request first during the first wave. There is no point talking about it. No such steps were taken. The whole country was turned upside down because proper advice was not considered and then adopted. We are people who have our eyes on the ground, and so we know the situation. The Government must know to discuss these matters with us, but they have not done that. Not only with us, they should also speak to everyone who provides passenger services like the SLTB and trains.
What are the present statistics pertaining to private buses under operation?
We have 50,000 drivers and conductors in the private bus service. There are at least 10,000 private bus owners. Many buses no longer operate. There are no buses in villages because many drivers and conductors don’t report to work. Only 25% of our buses provide public transport and about 15% of office transport buses are operating at present. Altogether, only 40% of our buses are in operation. Office buses are safer than public commuting, as it is the same group of people that the bus is transporting every day. I designed a “Covid-19 safety bus” programme but the authorities did not grant approval for it to operate. We spent Rs. 25,000 on this bus. In this bus, every seat was given a foil seat cover and other measures were put in place for safety.
How is the industry facing the losses that it has suffered due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and have you received adequate assistance from the Government?
The losses we have suffered are long gone and there is no point talking about it now. The estimations were not done when they should have been done. We were offered loans but loans are also things that we have to repay. So many of us did not take the loan. Even if we take loans there is no way to pay our leasing instalments. For that of course, we have been given till September to make our payments. But not everyone has to make leasing payments and those who have it still have to pay the interest. We did not get relief for the problem we have through insurance. There are buses that have not operated since they stopped operating during the first wave of Covid-19. Still, buses have been charged with a fine of Rs. 30,000 for not operating. How can we operate when employees are not reporting to work? Drivers and conductors cannot report to work as their wives and children are worried for them. There is the risk of them being infected.
What are the steps that you have taken to ensure road safety after the tragic Passara accident?
After the Passara accident, there has been a discussion about regulating private buses. There were no timetables in place, even though we always request for timetables. There are instances where drivers are being asked to sleep and then the next moment, they’d be woken up and asked to take a trip. The fact that there was no timetable in place when the Passara incident happened was revealed during inquiries. The ministers who were conducting the inquiry were misled by the officers.
Has the private bus industry been affected by the import regulations and restrictions that have been placed on the vehicle industry?
The importation of tyres into the country has been regulated. But we have to face a major issue because buses did not operate as much during the pandemic. As the new tyre factory is also functioning, we have no major issues. But since tyres are not available in the open market, the prices of locally produced tyres have increased. Last week, the prices of locally produced tyres went up by 5%. The bus industry has anyway collapsed now. With Covid-19, I do not think there is hope for our industry to resurrect itself.
What are the immediate plans you have to solve the problems faced by the industry?
One of the biggest problems in terms of the industry is the fact that certain conductors tend to steal money. This will continue to be so even if the health situation is normalised. About 50% of the earnings are lost to us this way. So, we are going to activate the travel card system where the passenger can swipe their travel card at the foot board when they are getting on the bus and getting off the bus. This would also be possible through the smartphone. We would not need conductors then. The money would go to the account at the end of the day and there would be no need to touch money. We plan to do this soon.