Metro Bus service aims to create new public transport culture

The Government’s Metro Bus service aims to establish a new public transport culture focused on comfort, safety and better treatment of passengers, Presidential Secretary Nandika Sanath Kumanayake said on Friday.

He made the remarks at the opening of the Thalangama Depot of Lanka Metro Transit, which was inaugurated with Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasena.

Kumanayake said the initiative was not simply about introducing new buses, but about changing the way public transport operates.

He said the new system should offer comfortable buses, safer journeys and drivers and conductors who treat passengers with respect and respond to their needs.

“The ultimate goal is to create a public transport culture that allows people who currently travel alone in their cars to use public transport with comfort and ease,” he said.

The Government hopes the service will encourage more motorists to shift from private vehicles to public transport.