Gerandiella

a an eyeopener for public transport policy makers

- BY A. BEDGAR PERERA

Details of the Garandiella bus tragedy costing 21 lives and many more injured are too well known to merit repetition.

The overloaded long distance bus plying the 250-km Kataragama — Kurunegala road via Nuwara Eliya had plunged down a steep 100-foot precipice in pitch darkness around 4.30 am, rolled over several times and remained in an overturned position. Accident details are now known and an investigation ongoing. Considering that the bus was state-owned, I write to express some thoughts on prevailing transport policy and road safety in the context of the recent disaster.

One important factor is overloading of buses, SLTB as well as private. Overloading is a near permanent feature in our public transport system. Most bus crews wait till a bus is fully loaded, sometimes overloaded, to pull out from the starting point. They stop at key bus halts en route ensuring full loads throughout the journey. Overloading of buses should be made an offense punishable by law, starting initially with at least the long distance buses and extended to others with gradual improvement of the bus services. If this is not done, overloading will continue and when a packed bus meets with a serious accident, the injuries sustained by the passengers will surely be more severe compared to a bus with only the prescribed number of passengers on board.

The bus in question was traveling on a winding road replete with bends and inclines carrying around 80 passengers against around the permitted 60 or so. It was definitely overloaded and one survivor had reported a loud sound and the bus tilting and veering to the left before stalling at the edge of the precipice for some precious moments. Passengers naturally would have rushed towards the exits, when the bus tilted further and rolled down the incline.