Sept 18, Colombo: The private bus companies of Sri Lanka have started agitations against a measure announced by the Minister of Transport Kumar Welgama to import 3,000 buses from China to equip the state owned loss making passenger transport arm Sri Lanka Transport Board.

Anjana Priyanjith, the secretary of All Lanka Private Bus Owners' Association said that the private buses would start a strike within 14 days of the deployment of those buses.

He said that the union will seek the support of the other unions of the private bus owners also.

He added that the addition of 3,000 buses to the state bus fleet would be the collapse of the private bus industry.

The bus owners' leader further accused that Sri Lanka Transport Commission does not provide any relief to the private bus industry.

The SLTB operates around 5,000 buses but about 3,500 buses are over 15 years old, Transport Minister Kumara Welgama said. He said the country needs at least 3,000 new buses to streamline the public transport service.