EDITORIAL : THE DAILY MIRROR, SRILANKA

Off roading

Private bus owners said they would increase bus fares by 15 per cent even if they did not get the approval of the National Transport Commission (NTC) adding that bus owners “had the legal authority” to do so although the NTC had stated otherwise.

Did anyone notice a different trend here?

Earlier the bus owners used to “strike,” but looks like they have dumped the idea and resorted to anarchy.

Fare increases are decided by the NTC with the agreement of bus owners and other relevant transport authorities.

However, Private Bus Owners’ Association (PBOA) President, Gemunu Wijeyratne claims that neither the provisions of the National Transport Commission Act nor the Provincial Transport Authorities Act states that the NTC has the authority in deciding bus fare amendments.

The underlying issue is financial, in other words it is ‘business’ and investment.

When there were only CTB buses in the 70s the CTB used to strike. When there were many private vans still they resorted to strikes. But things have changed a lot.

A strike action keeps the beneficiaries-here the general public-to ransom to achieve their demands. That is how venerable doctors too achieve their demands.

But have anyone heard about doctors strike their private practices?

The bus owners have now invested much more capital than ever before and they simply can’t park their buses and wait.

Worse still now people are more and more shifting towards alternative transports, like staff vans, motor bikes and perhaps three wheelers. Already a stabilizing economy has shown signs of improvement and there are more cars on the road. Many opting to go for entry-level cars. If all the family members travel daily  it would be cheaper for them to go for a car.

And so are the three wheelers.

There is too much of competition to move a person from point A to point B.

The PBOA also should know pushing the fares too high would ultimately boomerang on them.

At one point a commuter might be spending more to travel by bus than owning a two wheeler! And that point does not seem far away;  the commuter would bear the rental, fuel and still be spending fare less than to travel by bus.

What more, with the additional comfort of independence and time.

So like the business equilibrium would bring all people concerned to their senses.

For that to happen, the financial regulators and the State should let the operators be at the mercy of market forces.

With the bettering economy the pressure on the transport service like bus is getting less and a fare hike would only precipitate the inevitable.

So let the association go ahead and do its acid test.

The SLTB and season tickets are there for the needy. Keep that intact.