Vehicle worries

Friday, 3 June 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

SRI Lankans are taking a battering from transport-related issues with soaring vehicle prices and even possible bus fare increases based on increasing traffic congestion.

Sri Lanka’s transport woes are twofold. On one hand unplanned urbanisation and changing aspirational lifestyles have resulted in massive traffic jams. On the other hand, when people upgrade their vehicles, ideally to a car or SUV of Japanese or German make, they unwittingly worsen traffic and the trade deficit. Sri Lanka’s limited foreign exchange earnings means that there is constant competition to be among the select few who can own a vehicle.

However, the matter does not end there because more than 70% of Sri Lankan households own some form of conveyance, usually a motor-bicycle or three-wheeler. But there is a constant demand for these families to upgrade their vehicles. In fact, next to smartphones, more and more people feel that the quality of their lives is judged by the vehicle that they own. Well-heeled families in Colombo prefer to have a second car that is usually used by the wife and older children, but these are still few and far between.

For the majority of Sri Lankans, the taxes levied by the Government seem exorbitant and unfair because they directly affect their standard of life. In this they are justified. But the Government has won itself no favours by failing to increase direct taxes and then topping it off by raising vehicle prices. Most people spend years saving up to purchase a car and then having that dream pushed into the future by a stroke of a pen is hard to bear.

Self-important Government Ministers making insensitive remarks about the “eligibility” of car ownership while enjoying vehicle permits understandably increases the ire of people, especially since successive Governments have foregone billion of rupees in revenue for permits.

This Government is no different, with top public servants, especially politicians and bureaucrats, enjoying such perks repeatedly. Policymakers have repeatedly insisted that the public sector needs to be trimmed to save revenue but they are unlikely to discourage applicants when the public service enjoys perks that are seldom extended to the average private sector worker. To be fair by the current administration, they tried to limit the burden on some consumers preferring Indian cars, but many others were still left out of the loop.

The Government is also under pressure to get its Megapolis project off the ground so it can reduce congestion on Colombo’s roads and bring in a better standard of living to citizens. Cabinet approval has already been given to implement flexible working hours and many are pushing for a significant improvement in public transport. This is clearly the only way the Government can improve quality of life, improve revenue and still receive approval from the people. Unfortunately, urban planners under the Megapolis Ministry are still disregarding bus rapid transport systems as an option that is cost effective and relatively easy to implement.

Without swift solutions to the public transport system, Sri Lankans will continue to resent Governments that restrict their consumer rights.