Bus fares likely to go up by over 10%; Cabinet approval sought
March 22, 2026 05:57 pm
An increase of over 10% in bus fares has been assessed following the increase in fuel prices and a proposal on the same will be submitted for Cabinet approval tomorrow (23), according to the National Transport Commission (NTC).
The NTC states that when the increase in diesel prices is adjusted for the bus fare increase formula, the current bus fares are expected to go up by more than 10 percent.
Issuing a statement, the Director General of the National Transport Commission, Dr. Nilan Miranda, stated that the approval of the Cabinet is scheduled to be obtained tomorrow (23) to implement the new bus fare increase accordingly.
The current bus fare is the one announced on July 4, 2025, and when it was calculated, the price of a liter of Auto Diesel was Rs. 289 in that month and accordingly, the bus fare was announced according to that price, the Director General stated.
However, with the increase in fuel prices that occurred yesterday, the price of a liter of diesel has increased from Rs. 303 to Rs. 382 per litre, which is an increase of Rs. 79, and the total increase in the price of Auto Diesel during this period is Rs. 93.
Accordingly, when adjusted to the bus fare formula, this has resulted in an increase in bus fares of more than 10 percent, and therefore the relevant proposal has been referred to the Cabinet meeting scheduled to be held tomorrow (23) to obtain approval to implement the new bus fare increase, he further stated.
