Feb 13, Colombo: Private bus owners in Sri Lanka have come out hard against the National Transport Commission (NTC) for its decision not to permit a bus fare hike this month.

The Private Bus Owners' Association (PBOA) has charged that the NTC did not have a right to arrive at a unanimous decision of not increasing bus fares.

PBOA Head Gemunu Wijerathna has made this comment in response to the NTC announcement that bus fares would not be increased this month despite an increase in costs involved in public transportation since the last fare hike in February 2012.

Wijerathna has explained that the private bus owners had requested for a diesel subsidy and a bus fare hike in the event the government could not grant a subsidy.

He has observed that the government had not accepted the proposals put forward by the private bus owners.

According to Wijerathna, the NTC was pushing the private bus owners to launch an island wide strike action to win their demands.

Meanwhile, the bus owners are to hold a discussion with the transport authorities shortly to resolve the issue.