Sri Lanka, March 23 -- The President of the Lanka Private Bus Owners' Association (LPBOA), Gemunu Wijeratne, stated that the decision by private bus operators to withdraw from services today (23) is not a strike action.

He explained that operators were compelled to suspend services due to the recent fuel price increase, which has made it impossible to operate under the existing bus fare structure. However, he emphasized that this action should not be interpreted as a strike.

He further noted that the government had the opportunity to implement a revised bus fare from yesterday (22), but the failure to do so contributed to the current situation.

According to him, over 90% of private buses have refrained from operating today, while only ...