The current bus fare hike not only results in a higher fare for commuters, but also violates the Bus Fare Policy approved by the Cabinet of Ministers in June 2002, asserted the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT). According to the pricing index, the statement alleged, an increase of 15.6% should have been the case this time, yet a minimum of 20% had been granted, an additional fair increase of 4.4%.
The statement argued the fare increase should be granted from the exact fare previously calculated. i.e., the first section of Rs. 6.86 at the last revision, which was rounded off to Rs. 7, should now be increased to only Rs. 7.93. Even if 20% was applied for the full Rs. 7.0 fare it is still Rs. 8.40. This would result in the public paying an extra amount of nearly Rs. 3 million every day, it reported. When contacted, the Minister for Private Transport Services, C. B. Ratnayake, declined to comment on these claims. Meanwhile, Gemunu Wijeratne, President, Lanka Private Bus Owners' Association, informed that, the recent revision in fares is unfair since, in the long run, they would entail losses. He explained that, in response to their demand for a fair hike of 16%, the government had actually granted 20%, and set the next revision for February 2013, instead of July this year.
(Fahad Al-Hatim)
http://www.nation.lk/edition/todays-news/item/3218-bus-fare-hikecommuters-pay-rs-3-million-extra.html
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