Government will purchase 1,000 buses for the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) within the next few months in order to strengthen the SLTB bus fleet and the route network, Transport Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said. Addressing a gathering at Udahamulla bus depot the minister said that although the SLTB has 7,700 buses in its fleet, only 6,000 buses are in an operational condition at present.

He said the SLTB needs at least 10,000 buses to provide quality service to the public. The government also intends to begin a super luxury metro bus service within Colombo and in its suburbs, he added.