A website to book long-distance bus services online

The government has decided to introduce a new online seat reservation system for long-distance bus services as a pilot project, with the aim of improving the quality of public transport services. Transport Minister Bimal Ratnayake officially announced this today (04) at a special media briefing held in the afternoon.

He pointed out that this new program is planned to be launched first, targeting private buses providing long-distance services.

The Minister emphasized that passengers reserving their seats in advance through this new system will be charged a small service fee of Rs. 30 in addition to the regular bus fare. Sumudu Ratnayake, an advisor to the Ministry of Digital Economy, who participated in the media briefing, stated that initially, long-distance private buses operating via expressways would be included in this pilot project.

Accordingly, under the initial phase of this project, this facility will be available for buses operating from Makumbura to Galle, Matara, Badulla, and Kandy. Additionally, passengers traveling from Colombo to Ampara, Deniyaya, Middeniya, Monaragala, and Angunakolapelessa will also have the opportunity to use this new seat reservation facility.

Ms. Ishari Siriwardhana, General Manager of the Digital Transformation Project, also joined the event and explained how to use the new system. She stated that passengers can easily reserve their seats by visiting the official website www.bustickert.gov.lk or by calling the phone number 0112 001266. Furthermore, in addition to the online method, special facilities have been provided for passengers arriving at the Makumbura Multimodal Transport Center to avail themselves of this service, and a dedicated staff has been deployed there to assist passengers, she further added.