Sri Lanka to buy 600 deluxe buses for Rs14.4bn

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers have approved a proposal to buy 600 deluxe buses for 14.4 billion rupees, minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. The budget allocated 14,400 million rupees to the Sri Lanka Transport Board for purchasing 600 new Standard buses with 49-54 seats. But after the Road Safety Plan – 2025-2026 was introduced, the types of buses suitable for use in intercity and long-distance services and their minimum specifications have changed, he said. “According to those specifications, Deluxe model (air-conditioned) buses should be used for intercity and long-distance services.” So cabinet approved the proposal to purchase more comfortable Deluxe model (air-conditioned) buses instead of the 600 new Standard model buses for which provisions have already been allocated, he said. (Colombo/Jul21/2026)