Sri Lanka goes High-Tech

saraprobe

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  • Dec 27, 2006
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    Pay fare by ‘Credit Card’ for private buses


    Lightning strike by private bus operators


    The private bus operators are to introduce a ‘pay fare by credit card’ system for their regular commuters.

    Private Bus Operators Union Chief Gemunu Wijeratne said yesterday that his union had already conducted several rounds of talks with two companies in this regard.

    “Passengers can pay the fare with the Electronic Bus Pass (EBP) which is reloadable. The bus conductor will deduct the fare of the journey from the EBP using a machine similar to the system used for credit card deductions at super markets,” Mr. Wijeratne said yesterday.

    The EBP is reloadable at dealer points. The passenger need not necessarily have cash in hand when he or she wants to travel. The Private Bus Operators’ Union has sought legal sanction to implement the project, he added.

    Commenting on the lightning trade union action reportedly taken by the inter-provincial private bus operators in Chilaw, Galle and Ampara yesterday, Mr. Wijeratne said the trade union action was uncalled for.

    “They have launched the strike to protest on the spot fines imposed by police. If bus drivers and conductors follow the traffic law, they will not be subjected to fines.

    Besides, the traffic police apply the law to protect passengers, pedestrians and the bus crew,” he said.

    The Private Bus Operators’ Union would never ask its members to resort to trade union action if and when they were fined or taken to courts for violation of the law, Mr. Wijeratne stressed.

    Meanwhile, the National Transport Commission (NTC) says that the trade union action by certain private bus operators was illegal and it was a violation of the agreement between the NTC and private bus operators.

    DM