COLOMBO ‒ Sri Lanka’s National Transport Commission (NTC) on Friday (3) officially released the revised bus fares, with the minimum fare increasing to Rs 34, effective Monday (6).
The Cabinet approved the bus fare revision at its June 30, 2026 meeting, following the annual fare review process and recent fuel price changes.
The NTC said the annual fare revision is based on a cost index that reflects changes in 12 key operating cost components and is scheduled to be implemented on July 1 each year.
Under the new fare structure, regular bus services operating on routes of less than 100 kilometres will see fares increase by 12%, while services operating on routes of 100 kilometres or more will be subject to a revised fare structure with an overall 20% increase.
Luxury bus services on routes shorter than 100 kilometres will also receive a 12% fare increase, while fares for luxury services operating over distances of 100 kilometres or more will rise by 15% under a revised pricing structure.
The Commission said fares for semi-luxury bus services would remain unchanged in methodology as a case relating to those fares is currently pending before the Court of Appeal. Until a ruling is delivered, semi-luxury fares will continue to be calculated at 1.5 times the revised regular bus fare.
The revised luxury fare structure will also apply to ultra-luxury buses operating on expressways and to ordinary highway bus services, the NTC said.
The Commission instructed the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) and all private operators providing inter-provincial and intra-provincial passenger transport services to display and charge only the approved fares, warning that strict legal action would be taken against operators found charging more than the authorized fares.
Passengers can lodge complaints regarding overcharging through the NTC’s hotline 1955 or via WhatsApp on 071 259 5555, the Commission said.
-ENCL
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