Photo by Dhammika Heenpella.
UPDATE: I took the bus, my review is here: The Southern Expressway Bus
I heard there were buses on the Southern Expressway, to Galle. Went to Maharagama at three to try and catch one but the only one available was at six. So I came home to wait. Jeebus. They should really run more buses. Like a lot more buses. There seems to be demand. I heard that the A/C gave out and they cancelled a run, only to resume it when people protested and said they’d take the bus anyways.
Thing is, I got home and I’m not sure I even booked the right bus. The fare is supposed to be Rs. 400 but they only charged me Rs. 30 for the reservation. I can’t imagine that any other bus has a three hour waiting period though. I’ve heard varying estimates of the times, that they’re once every two hours, once every 90 minutes, once an hour. From what I saw, there was at four and at six. This is from Maharagama, though I think you can get on at Kottawa.
Thing is, you can’t seem to book online or over the phone, so you’d have to physically go to Maharagama hours before you need to travel. I guess it makes sense for people commuting, but even then not really. Private bus operators have asked permission to run the route, if they can shape up the buses they should get it. Whatever’s said and done, the Southern Expressway is making money, and people are excited about. Buses are essentially for more people to benefit and get on.
and the laws should be strictly applied to everyone there.
hope the rest of the highways would come up soon…
Agree there should be a lot more buses allowed on the highway, otherwise it is only benefiting a minority who own a vehicle or who can afford to hire a vehicle. I don’t understand why motorbikes are banned though? Re: booking that is so typically Sri Lankan; you have to expend a fuck load of effort just to get something simple done.
They should definitely NOT allow private bus companies to run the highway. Are you nuts??? Half the problem on the Galle Road IS the fucking maniac bus drivers. THe highway should be allocated to ONE bus company. That way, they aren’t trying to race each other and kill me in the process. In fact, the same should apply for ALL bus routes. One company per route.
As for bikes on the highway — isn’t there enough roadkill out there?
Perhaps. I just took the SLTB Bus down and then a private bus along the coast. The private bus felt like 700 times faster, tho I think that was just the proximity to death.
Agree with David. Private buses drive crazy and on the southern highway they will endanger the lives of other users. Only one company should be allowed to drive. I thought SLTB brought down new buses for the highway.
Private bus companies have requested to run 5 busses at Rs.100 less than the SLTB fare on the expressway. They are waiting for approval.
The minister had said there’ll be an online booking system soon. As with all things Sri Lankan, we implement things first and think later….
It doesn’t make sense to run a lot more buses. There should be a specific number (under 10 I would think) that run on a regular schedule, can be booked online and are punctual. That way people can plan their trips better. To just put more buses out there for the convenience of people who want to turn up in Maharagama ad hoc and jump on a bus to Galle is crazy. It’s a two (narrow) lane highway, not the Galle Road. There is no room to overtake buses, there is nowhere to stop if there is any kind of engine trouble, private buses drive like maniacs, and the average person can’t afford 800 bucks for a roundtrip to Galle on a regular basis to justify having a ton of buses out there.
“There is no room to overtake buses.” The comment is proof the writer has not been on the Expressway.
The number of buses should be decided by demand, not by arbitrary assertions made by uninformed people. A regular schedule is essential (time tables exist for normal routes too; problem is they are not followed), I agree. But depending on demand, buses could be leaving every half hour, or every ten minutes. That should be decided on by suppliers.
If people want to go to Galle by bus cannot do so “ad hoc,” why should those who get in their cars and decide to go to Galle ad hoc be treated any different? I guess you are asking for car drivers also to make reservations?
The comment about 800 rupees being too expensive is simply silly. It’s the traveler who decides what is affordable or not. The crowds at the bus stands are proof that plenty of people do not consider the price a problem. Let them decide. They will be paying for the loans taken to build the Expressway; not just the car and van owners (10% of households in Western Province and 5% of households in Southern Province) you seem to be speaking for. Those who do not own cars have every right to use the Expressway. Much more efficient use they’ll make of it too.
I took the bus yesterday and wrote a post here
The Southern Expressway Bus
Cars can overtake, that was never really a problem. As for demand, well, the demand is there. The whole point is how much is a persons time worth. If two hours (and comfort) is worth Rs. 400 to you then you’ll pay it. For many people that is 10 hours extra a week with their family and kids. Average Sri Lankans also earn these days, but you have to earn a stupid amount of money to get a car (with the taxes). There are plenty of middle class people happy to take a bus, myself included.
Like my dad says, everybody has a right to use the Expressway, and it’s obvious that there should be enough buses to supply the demand. They go the speed limit and you can overtake, it inconveniences no one. If people are willing to pay for a bus every half hour, let there be buses.
It’s quite OK to let demand dictate supply; but it’s another matter to let private bus companies dictate it, which is what is happening everywhere else, and which will happen on the expressway too if they are allowed to.
I think the comment was based on how current bus drivers drive, i.e. swinging across lanes, straddling lanes. Hopefully they’ve genetically engineered some drivers wtih brains for this endeavor.
The number of buses should be decide by demand, yes, but I would like to see how you would handle buses leaving every ten minutes, given the traffic at the toll booths already. And yes, I have been on the E01 and yes, I do think the lanes are too narrow to overtake a bus, but perhaps you are a far more superior driver than I. Whether 800 rupees is affordable or not remains to be seen, after the hype of the expressway has died down. Personally, I couldn’t afford it on a regular basis. Do wholeheartedly agree that everyone should be able to use the expressway, but all things considered, ie safety, useability, expense etc I don’t think putting as many buses on the road as it can handle, having private and CTB buses race each other at 100kmh is in anyone’s best interest, but that’s just my uninformed opinion.
Congestion at toll gates was predicted. The real solution is e payments. http://lbo.lk/fullstory.php?nid=1682059679. A second-best solution is to have have at least 3 toll booths per lane (i.e., 6 instead of the present 3)
In the meantime, the decision rule should be buses have priority over cars. A bus transports more people than a car does and does it more efficiently. It should have priority.
It is more than possible to overtake buses on the highway. I have done it several times. I also haven’t noticed any significant congestion at the toll gates. The most I have had to wait is five minutes.
You can use one of those little gadgets they use in america. The sensor at the toll booth picks it up and automatically charges you