Nearly 1,000 buses are operating long-distance passenger services without route permits issued by the National Transport Commission (NTC), the Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) Chairman Gemunu Wijeratne has alleged.

As reported by Lankadeepa, Wijeratne has said the situation was unfair to operators who legally obtain route permits and also posed a safety risk to passengers using public transport.

He further alleged that some large-scale private bus companies were operating unlicensed buses under the same colour scheme as their authorised fleets and claimed that the NTC had failed to take adequate action against the practice.

Responding to the allegations, NTC Chairman P.A. Chandrapala acknowledged that a considerable number of buses were operating long-distance services without valid permits, although he said he could not confirm whether the figure was as high as 1,000.

Chandrapala also noted that some buses holding valid route permits operate only on profitable schedules instead of adhering to their approved timetables.

He said the NTC is currently focusing on both categories of violations, buses operating without permits and those failing to operate according to the conditions of their permits, and is preparing measures to address the issue. (Newswire)

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