The government aims to increase the Lanka Metro Transit (LMT) fleet to 172 buses by the end of the year.
Speaking at the opening of LMT’s second bus depot in Kadawatha, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake stated that a Cabinet paper has been submitted to procure 50 new low-floor buses.
The Ministry will officially launch the Lanka Metro Bus service later this month, operating across seven routes in Colombo and its immediate suburbs.
Background
Lanka Metro Transit (Pvt) Ltd is an independent state-owned company under the Ministry of Transport, created in partnership with the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) but operating with its own budget, fleet, and depot infrastructure.
It was launched as a pilot project in April this year, with a single bus route from the Makumbura Multimodal Centre to Fort and Kadawatha and an added emphasis on transport for passengers with disabilities.
The service is set to be officially launched later this month.
Depot expansion
This second depot in Kadawatha has been established close to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) depot located along the Kadawatha-Gampaha road.
LMT plans to construct four new depots under the first phase to increase the service capacity of the Metro Bus project as well.
Under this, the project is being implemented centering the Thalangama, Kadawatha, Ekala, and Ratmalana areas, with these new depot centers facilitating streamlined transport services by deploying 15 new metro buses.
Expanding LMT and SLTB
Minister Rathnayake also stated that this service will be expanded beyond the Western Province to the Galle, Kandy, and Jaffna areas.
Additionally, 600 new air-conditioned buses are being imported for the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus service, along with another 200 buses for the SLTB.
The Minister also emphasized that SLTB remains the lifeline of public transport in Sri Lanka, even though the LMT service is being operated concurrently.
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