Ashok Leyland bags contract to supply 500 buses to Sri Lanka Transport

Ashok Leyland, commercial vehicle maker, on Wednesday said it has bagged a contract for supplying 500 buses to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), of which 75 buses have already been delivered to the Island nation.

According to the statement, the order is a component of a Line of Credit provided by Export Import Bank of India under the Indian government's Economic Assistance Scheme.

However, the business chose to keep the deal's financial specifics a secret.

With 110 depots spread around the nation, Sri Lanka Transport Board is the sole state-owned bus transportation provider in Sri Lanka. It runs buses on city routes, hilly and rural routes, as well as long-distance inter-city routes.

According to the firm, SLTB is now using more than 5,000 Ashok Leyland buses.

"These new 32-seater buses are expected to be put into operation on rural routes throughout the island. We thank the Government of India for assistance towards strengthening Public Transport Infrastructure in Sri Lanka," said Amandeep Singh, President - International Operations, Ashok Leyland said.

Sri Lanka also houses a bus and vehicle manufacturing factory owned by the Hinduja company.

According to Ashok Leyland, the project's first batch of buses was delivered to the firm in Colombo this month.

The company claims that through improving mobility and accessibility, these buses will aid in the fight against the island nation's overloaded public transit system.