Seat belts mandatory for expressway bus passengers

Saturday, 30 August 2025 01:31 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake

Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake yesterday said that a gazette notification making it mandatory for passengers traveling in passenger buses on expressways to wear seat belts is scheduled to be issued on 31 August.

The initiative is a component of the Clean Sri Lanka program.

A grace period of approximately three months will be given for the installation of seat belts in school transport buses, office transport services, leisure tour buses, and other passenger buses operating on expressways. The Government also plans to implement this regulation for long-distance buses.

The Minister further pointed out that the price of seat belts, which was around Rs. 2,000 previously, has now risen to between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 7,000. He stressed that this price increase should be monitored by the Consumer Affairs Authority.

The Minister also announced that, along with the necessary legal amendments, a new system will be introduced to inspect and rate the condition of vehicle spare parts before vehicles are allowed onto expressways.

He also revealed that necessary arrangements have been completed to establish a welfare fund for drivers in the private transport sector, including those operating three-wheelers and vans.

A draft bill related to this will be presented to Parliament for approval in the near future.