Colombo Gives Up Bus and Tram Services
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TROLLEYBUS and tram services oper ated by Colombo Municipal Council have been taken over by the Ceylon Transport Board to stop the drain on the city's finances. Advocating the move, the Minister of Local Government said it would be improper to allow Colombo to carry on losing £105,000 a year on the services.
Previously, the Transport Board had said they had their hands full and could not cope with any more services. They are now asking that their fares should be increased, on the ground that fares in Ceylon are the lowest in the world.
The board have also pointed out to the Minister of Transport that they are paying 1,000 employees for doing nothing. This is the result of a pledge, given when bus services were nationalized, that noone would be redundant.
The state of emergency in Ceylon, following the communal riots, has been costing the board £188,250 a month—about a third of their normal revenue: