Metro Bus: 7 new routes to be introduced from today (29)

The launch of 112 new "Metro Buses" covering seven routes, centered in the Western Province, took place today (29) at the Talangama Metro Bus Depot premises, under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In addition, government approval has already been received for the import of another 50 Metro Buses, and accordingly, the entire bus fleet will soon expand to 172.

Speaking at the inauguration, the President emphasized that it is essential to maintain the public transport service at a level similar to the high standards maintained in the country's education and health sectors. He further pointed out that this project clearly symbolizes how strongly the country's economy has been built over the past two years.

This new bus service operates along major routes from Millennium City to Colombo Fort, Dematagoda, Panadura, Battaramulla, Kollupitiya Roundabout, and from Kesbewa to Pettah. One major extension introduced is the route from Ekala to Battaramulla, with several key Metro bus stops established accordingly. The primary objective of this operational plan is to safely transport passengers to their respective destinations within an hour and a half, maximizing their time savings.

These Metro buses, which commence operations daily at 5:00 AM, offer passengers modern facilities for paying their fares, including the use of QR codes and bank cards via digital methods, in addition to traditional cash payments. Special attention has been given to providing the public with an extremely comfortable travel experience, avoiding the inconveniences that passengers have faced in public transport services until now.

In conjunction with this new transport service, steps have also been taken to re-implement the "Bus Priority Lane Law" in the Colombo city area starting today. According to this law, first introduced by an extraordinary gazette notification issued in November 2015, the lane law will be strictly enforced daily from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM and from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. During the specified periods, it is strictly prohibited for any other vehicle to enter or park in these designated lanes, and police officers have already been deployed on several main roads in Colombo to monitor the proper enforcement of the law.