4.1 Public Transport System & Road Networks

The operation of local buses, taxis and hire car services should come under the jurisdiction of PCs. The inter-city buses and trains should remain in the hands of the national government. A National Transport Authority will be established to operate inter-city bus services, railway system, any non-recreational cruise operations and other mode of ground transportation that are not the responsibility of the PC.

No road project should be embarked upon, until a cost benefit analysis indicates it is a worthwhile project and is not environmentally hazardous. These studies have to be independently carried out by appropriately qualified staff working at the Road Authority.

National government should undertake major rail infrastructure projects including fast rail projects so that people can travel from distant places to cities for work. For example, a fast train from Puttalam to Colombo through Chilaw and Negombo would be enormously beneficial to those who live in that corridor. There will be other corridors where introduction of fast trains will change lifestyles of many. The government might need to raise loans or foreign aid to embark on such major projects. This will also help cities and inner suburbs where populations are surging.

Public-sector buses can run alongside the private operators, with each province setting up its own public transport authority to oversee the running of these services. We will consider a proposition in which the government will pay a private contractor an agreed amount of money to run a set number of bus trips in a particular route, while a public servant will be employed in the bus to collect ticket money from the passengers.

It will be mandatory to operate feeder bus services to and from railway stations. Taxis, Uber, three wheelers, fair share arrangements and hire car operations should be regulated by the Transport Authority of each PC. This is an area where Platform (sharing) Co-operatives could work. Local governments can take the lead in helping out platform cooperatives in the community to share out services. They can be trained through the national WSDE Authority. Studies will be made available on Platform Cooperatives to gain experiences from such entities that have been implemented in other parts of the world. The Platform Cooperatives concept is based on sharing the data and services.

The National Transport Authority should undertake a study to alleviate the transport congestion in Colombo and inner suburbs of Colombo. The study will consider a number of public transport options such as Sky Rail, Trams and enhanced rail and bus services and imposing restrictions on the flow of cars into Metropolitan Colombo.

It is ideal to have a plan to move government offices outside Metropolitan Colombo, where it is practical to do so. This should be in the mix for consideration when looking to reduce traffic congestion.

National government should undertake major rail infrastructure projects including fast rail projects so that people can travel from distant places to cities for work.

Public-sector buses can run alongside the private operators, with each province setting up its own public transport authority to oversee the running of these services.

It will be mandatory to operate feeder bus services to and from railway stations. Taxis, Uber, three wheelers, fair share arrangements and hire car operations should be regulated by the Transport Authority of each PC. This is an area where Platform (sharing) Co-operatives could work.

The National Transport Authority should undertake a study to alleviate the transport congestion in Colombo and inner suburbs of Colombo. The study will consider a number of public transport options such as Sky Rail, Trams and enhanced rail and bus services and imposing restrictions on the flow of cars into Metropolitan Colombo. It is ideal to have a plan to move government offices outside Metropolitan Colombo, where it is practical to do so. This should be in the mix for consideration when looking to reduce traffic congestion.

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