Lessons in ownership, regulation and management from 100 years of bus transport in Sri Lanka

Though a key factor behind the economic growth of a nation, transportation is associated with negative externalities that directly affect the economic performance of a country: road traffic accidents being one such negative externality. An increase in the number of accidents and related fatalities poses a socio-economic burden to developed and developing countries alike. Hence, quantifying the impact of road traffic fatalities on the national economy has become a popular topic amongst researchers in transportation.The present study was an attempt to quantify the economic burden of premature mortalities associated with road traffic accidents in Sri Lanka, using descriptive analytical tools and employing the Human Capital Approach, upon estimating the Years of Life Lost, an integral component of Disability-adjusted Life Years.The outcomes revealed that road traffic accidents have been a growing threat in Sri Lanka, and that, despite the decreasing number of accidents, fatalities associated with road traffic accidents have increased: this reflects a trend of increasing accident severity. The results also allowed for an estimation of the human capital-related economic cost of fatalities due to road traffic accidents. This was found to be nearly 0.25% of the GDP of the corresponding years: exceeding the capital expenditure of the Government in the health sector and more than half that in the education sector.

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic cost of human fatalities due to road traffic accidents in Sri Lanka: an estimation based on the human capital approach

Gunaruwan

Nayanalochana

2023

“…The existing bus operation in Sri Lanka is characterised by poorly equipped regulators in a mixed competitive environment [22]. With the expansion of the road network into rural areas, accessibility to bus transportation increased, and bus transport has become the primary mode of travel replacing rail transport.…”

Section: Comparison Of Rail Passenger Fares With Bus Faresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With the expansion of the road network into rural areas, accessibility to bus transportation increased, and bus transport has become the primary mode of travel replacing rail transport. As per the bus fare policy formed in 2002, bus fares are revised annually in line with the cost of inputs and quality of outputs [22]. Even though railway fares are comparatively lower than bus fares, there is a lack of accessibility in rail transport when compared with bus transport.…”

Section: Comparison Of Rail Passenger Fares With Bus Faresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of controlling railway fares on the financial shortfall of Sri Lanka railways (SLR)

Danthanarayana

Dunusinghe

2023

Although envisaged as the means of delivering an attractive and efficient mode of public transport, Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) has incurred a financial shortfall since the mid-1900s. To overcome this financial shortfall SLR, a government department needs to adopt strategies that enhance its total revenue or reduce recurrent expenditure. Passenger revenue and freight revenue are major components of the total revenue of SLR. These are determined by fares and the volume of passenger and freight transport. This study examines the impact of government controls on railway fares on the financial shortfall of SLR. To do this, it analyses the effects of the railway passenger and freight revenue components of the financial statements from 1977 to 2018. An in-depth descriptive and graphical analysis is performed using secondary data to find the impact of these variables. The study ascertains that the long-term financial shortfall of SLR is attributable to two factors: SLR charges relatively low passenger fares charged by SLR compared with public bus transport, and it does not revise its fares in line with changes in the bus. This study recommends that decisionmakers and planners formulate a railway fare policy that is revised in line with bus fares and adopt measures to enhance the quality and level of service delivered by SLR.

“…The bus services in Sri Lanka started in 1907 with no regulatory interventions. Since then, the bus operator has undergone a series of regulatory interventions [12]. Currently, the passenger bus services are operated by a state-owned large, formal bus operating company and many private bus operators who are 'single-bus' owners and work independently.…”

Section: Bus Priority Measure-based Studies Conducted In Sri Lankamentioning

confidence: 99%

A microscopic traffic simulation framework to evaluate the performance of bus priority lanes

Jayasinghe

Munasinghe²,

Sivakumar

2023

Bus priority measures are widely considered effective at reducing traffic congestion and bus travel times. Traditionally, the performance of a bus priority measure is evaluated using traffic survey-based methods. However, traffic simulations can also be used as a decision support tool for transport planners to test different bus priority measures in a simulation environment and evaluate the measure's performance before physical implementation. This research presents the development of a microscopic traffic simulation framework to simulate traffic flows when a bus priority lane (BPL) is in operation and compares its performance against the case where no BPL is in operation. A test-bed along the Galle Road corridor (in Colombo, Sri Lanka) from Cross Junction to Ratmalana was chosen to test the developed simulation framework. The performance of the BPL was evaluated by considering the changes in the vehicle speeds before and after implementing the BPL. Different demand configurations were simulated by varying the general traffic flow and bus flow to understand the BPL's feasible demand configuration(s). The simulation results showed that the BPL was feasible with a relatively high bus flow (240 buses per hour) and a relatively moderate general traffic flow (2,000 / 2,500 vehicles per hour).